Samsung just unveiled its newest entry into the nascent virtual reality (VR) camera market when it debuted the 360 Round at the annual Samsung Developer Conference in San Francisco, California.
The 360 Round VR camera is capable of capturing 360° 4K 3D video at 30fps using 17 total lenses for photographing, filming, and livestreaming 4K 3D panoramic video.
The Samsung 360 Round should be available this month, October 2017, in the United States with a gradual international rollout in the coming months and retailing for what Samsung calls a “reasonable” price.
The product will be aimed at both professionals and enthusiasts, offering what the company calls professional-grade equipment for the rapidly expanding YouTube, Facebook, and Samsung VR platforms, in addition to others. This market niche bolsters the company’s claims that the camera’s price will be affordable and within reach of most potential consumers.
All of this VR tech is housed within a durable, water-proof, dust-resistant unibody shell designed specifically for heat reduction and for operation of the unit without the need for a cooling device such as a fan.
The camera will come with PC-based software for control and multiple interfaces for connecting microphones and external storage devices. The Samsung 360 Round will also come along with a content management solution that Samsung claims will offer photographers/videographers that helps them to “transform” their creations in VR.
Speaking about their latest product to the gathered audience at the annual Developers’ Conference, Suk-Jea Hahn, Executive Vice President of Samsung Electronics’ Global Mobile B2B Team, said: “The Samsung 360 Round is a testament to our leadership in the VR market. We have developed a product that contains innovative VR features, allowing video producers and broadcast professionals to easily produce high quality 3D content…The combination of livestreaming capabilities, IP65 water and dust resistance and 17 lenses makes this camera ideal for a broad range of use cases our customers want—from livestreaming major events to filming at training facilities across various industries.”
