New Gear VR Might Include Face And Eye Tracking

Samsung’s Gear VR headset is a relatively cheap virtual reality headset but given that you need a compatible Samsung flagship to use it, you don’t really save that much money. Samsung was able to keep the headset itself at $99 because it doesn’t have some of the features like proper VR headsets like Oculus Rift and HTC Vive do, features like face tracking and eye tracking, but that might change with the new Gear VR.

A patent Samsung filed for in May last year has now been published. It reveals that the company has dreamt up eye tracking and face tracking for the Gear VR.

If this turns out to be true, the new Gear VR will provide a significantly enhanced virtual reality experience than any of its predecessors. It will enable users to walk through a 3D VR environment without needing a controller.

The patent shows that the new Gear VR’s physical position tracking technology will rely on LED lights and an external camera. Cameras inside the headset will monitor the user’s face and eyes for accurate tracking.

Samsung now has this patent in the vault but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s going to bring these features to the Gear VR. However, this really is the natural progression for the virtual reality headset, so who knows, perhaps the Gear VR destined for 2017 may include these features.

Adnan Farooqui
Categories: Gadgets
Tags: Gear VR, patents, Samsung