Samsung‘s Gear VR is rumored to be launched in China in June, Chinese tech site 36Kr reported on Monday.
Since launching a developer’s version of the Gear VR in December 2014, Samsung has ushered in a new era of mobile virtual reality. The commercial version was finally released in November 2015 and received mixed reviews.
The Gear VR is considered the best mobile virtual reality gadget on the market right now, and a great way to jump into the world of VR gaming and entertainment — just make sure you own a compatible Samsung phone first.
Some industry analysts say the reason why Gear VR has not yet entered the Chinese market has something to do with popular VR maker Oculus. In terms of content, the Oculus store is the content distribution platform of Gear VR, which means everything that can be downloaded from the Samsung Gear VR app is powered by the Oculus store. According to China’s online publishing regulations, foreign companies are not allowed to distribute content within the country unless they build physical stores in China, and the Oculus store is not in compliance with these conditions, according to 36kr.
According to leading software company IN2, Samsung may distribute content through its mobile browser. That means users need to visit a Chinese video website such as iQIYI.com using their mobile phone, click on a VR video and then put the phone into Gear VR. Meanwhile, industry professionals and informed sources are saying that Samsung will build a separate store to distribute content in China, and it has already obtained approval from Oculus.
Goldman Sachs predicted that in 2025, the revenue generated in this market may reach USD 80 billion, out of which USD 45 billion could come from hardware sales.
China’s VR market is heating up, in line with the global trend. A few lead the market among dozens of competitive Chinese VR makers including 3Glasses, ANTVR, Baofeng Mojing and DeePoon. The introduction of Gear VR will bring even more competition to this huge VR market.
(Top photo from www.leikeji.com)