Samsung sets foot in metaverse race, developing its own version

Samsung Electronics is boosting its research and development of metaverse-related technologies in a bid to nurture its new growth engines, joining the growing list of global tech firms that are betting big on the new field.

Han Jong-hee, Samsung Vice Chairman has recently discussed the topic with a number of employees and reaffirmed the company's plan to roll out "Samsung's version of the metaverse". "We will create Samsung's version of the metaverse. Please come up with many ideas and help materialise them," Han was quoted as saying, reports Yonhap news agency.

Han chose the metaverse and robotics as the tech giant's new growth areas at the March annual shareholders' meeting. "We will launch metaverse devices and solutions to enable customers to experience the new technology wherever they are," he said at that time. Han also made similar remarks during the 2022 MWC in Barcelona, Spain, in February.

Samsung has recently set up a task force dedicated to the subject, which reports directly to Han, and is reportedly developing a virtual reality headset under the Galaxy name as its first metaverse-related product. Samsung Research, the R&D hub of the company's Device eXperience (DX) unit, is studying "the next-generation display technologies and device prototypes," as well as various utilisation scenarios.

The company has also used the metaverse for marketing and entertainment purposes. It built a virtual store, Samsung 837X, which is a replica of its real-life flagship New York store, on the blockchain-powered virtual world Decentraland to showcase its latest flagship Galaxy S22 series.