At its Mobile World Congress event today, Samsung snuck in one announcement about the upcoming version of the Samsung Gear VR: The new headset will be bundled with a controller that rolls elements of a remote control and touchpad into one.
The controller (which was only shown in passing) seems strongly reminiscent of the pointer that comes with the Google Daydream View headset. Like the Daydream controller, Samsung's wand is designed for one-handed use, with a round touchpad area at its tip. It also has built-in home, volume and back buttons, so it seems set to replace the headset-mounted touchpad and buttons in earlier editions of the Gear VR.
The Gear VR controller will reportedly bring a host of new titles along with it. According to Oculus, Samsung's VR partner, there are already over 70 new controller titles currently in development. In addition, all of the currently existing touchpad-driven Gear VR apps will be controller-compatible as well.
Other details, such as price and release date, have yet to be confirmed. We expect to hear more on or around March 29 – the newly announced date of the launch event for Samsung's Galaxy S8 flagships.
Source: Oculus
