Josh Hendrickson
The Samsung Gear VR, made in collaboration with Oculus, was once a shining beacon in the barren land of virtual reality. But Oculus Quest has long taken over that role, and the Gear VR found itself discontinued in 2019. Now, the final nails are in Samsung’s VR coffin—Samsung is killing off its XR service and VR Video apps.
Samsung’s XR service was a curiosity in the VR world. It provided a mixture of 360-degree videos and pictures to enjoy. So it was more an experience than a game or app. You could purchase premium videos or upload your own for other users to enjoy.
“Could” being the operative word—as of today, that’s no longer an option. The company announced its intention to shutdown XR service and its VR Video apps for the Oculus Quest, Go, and Quest. The company discontinued the ability to upload or purchase premium content from XR Service effective immediately.
You’ll have a little longer to enjoy Samsung’s VR video apps; those will remain operational and available for download until June 30th when Samsung will remove the apps from stores.
On September 30th, the XR service will entirely shut down, and Samsung will delete all user accounts. Considering Samsung already stopped making the Gear VR, the company’s VR ambitions appear to be dead.
Source: Samsung via XDADevelopers
