Next Samsung Gear VR could have a built-in super-high-res display

(Image credit: Samsung)

It may be relatively weak compared to the PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive virtual reality competition, but Samsung's mobile-powered Gear VR headset has trounced them all when it comes to sales. 

A new report suggests that Samsung is now preparing to match that massive popularity with a giant spec boost for the next-gen Samsung Gear VR.

According to the Korea Herald, Samsung has been showing off a new  Gear VR device with an integrated display behind closed doors. Current Gear VR headsets don't feature their own displays, but instead make use of a cavity within which you place a Samsung phone and view it through goggles built into the headset.

Eye-popping ppi 

In addition, the headset is said to offer a marked improvement in terms of visual fidelity. While the device being clandestinely showed off has a 1200ppi pixel density, "a headset with 1500ppi is soon expected to be unveiled" according to the report. 

That would make for a display notably sharper than the current Gear VR, but also significantly more pixel rich than the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and PS VR, too. For comparison's sake, the top-end HTC Vive 'only' offers 447ppi per eye.

With a strong GDC showing from Oculus, a rumored HTC Vive mobile device in the works and now this, 2017 is shaping up to be a confident year for virtual reality, following a slow close to 2016.

Gerald Lynch

Gerald is Editor-in-Chief of iMore.com. Previously he was the Executive Editor for TechRadar, taking care of the site's home cinema, gaming, smart home, entertainment and audio output. He loves gaming, but don't expect him to play with you unless your console is hooked up to a 4K HDR screen and a 7.1 surround system. Before TechRadar, Gerald was Editor of Gizmodo UK. He is also the author of 'Get Technology: Upgrade Your Future', published by Aurum Press.