Samsung’s Android XR Headset to Feature First-Party Motion Controllers and PC VR Streaming Support

Samsung’s latest announcement about their upcoming Android XR headset, despite being short on specifics, has stirred excitement among VR enthusiasts and developers alike, thanks to a couple of promising confirmations.

Set to launch under the moniker ‘Project Moohan,’ this headset will become the first device to incorporate Android XR when it debuts next year. During our exclusive hands-on experience, we navigated the device using hand-tracking and eye-tracking technology. Nevertheless, Samsung has assured that they are developing their own motion controllers, which will seamlessly integrate with Android XR.

This development is particularly significant because it opens up the possibility for an extensive range of existing VR applications, dependent on motion controllers, to be transitioned to Android XR without necessitating drastic changes in their core design. In contrast, Apple’s Vision Pro lacks motion controller support, limiting the vast majority of popular VR content under its umbrella from being easily adapted to their platform.

On the matter of Project Moohan’s motion controllers, Samsung remains tight-lipped about specifics, except to hint at their readiness by the time the headset officially launches in 2025. What’s still up in the air is whether these controllers will be bundled with the headset or sold separately as optional extras.

Another promising feature for existing VR content is the confirmation from both Samsung and Google that Android XR will accommodate some form of PC VR streaming on Project Moohan and future headsets. This capability will allow users to stream VR content from their gaming PC straight to their headset, tapping into SteamVR’s extensive library, which potentially offers richer graphics and greater modding possibilities.

Despite this confirmation, details about the streaming capabilities remain vague. It’s not yet clear whether Android XR will feature a native PC VR streaming solution akin to what Quest offers, or if Google is simply open to supporting third-party streaming apps on their platform.

The latter seems more probable at this point. Virtual Desktop, a well-regarded third-party PC VR streaming application, has already been announced to be in the works for Android XR.

For those interested in diving deeper into Android XR progress and insights from Samsung’s headset hands-on experience, additional details are available in our initial announcement article.