Samsung was one of the first tech companies to enter the market with a VR headset – but this is a little different. The company has partnered with Microsoft to launch the Samsung HMD Odyssey, a mixed reality headset powered by Windows. (Users will need a compatible Windows 10-powered PC for the device to work.) The headset was officially announced yesterday in San Francisco, at a mixed reality-focused event hosted by Microsoft. The device comes with built-in headphones from AKG, a built-in microphone, and dual OLED displays made by Samsung. It also comes with two motion controllers. This is the first Samsung headset that wasn’t build in partnership with Facebook’s Oculus, and the first that isn’t powered by a mobile device. It’s also a lot more expensive than the Gear VR ever was: The Odyssey will retail for $499. It’ll be available November 6.
Microsoft also announced that it has acquired AltspaceVR, a startup that enables users to have social interactions within VR environments. AltspaceVR had seemingly reached the end of its journey a few months ago: Despite raising about $15 million from backers like Comcast Ventures and Tencent, the startup announced plans to shut down by the end of July. But a then-unknown backer stepped in to save the company soon after; now we know the company was Microsoft. Alex Kipman, Microsoft’s head of mixed reality efforts, said that the Altspace team will work on “building the world’s preeminent mixed reality community.” He added that “the majority” of AltspaceVR’s employees now work for Microsoft. The acquisition price hasn’t been revealed.
