In a bid to diversify products, Samsung Electronics introduced a heavy-duty 3D VR camera specially designed for professional video creators, seeking ways to secure a foothold in the high-end 360-degree VR camera market.
The pancake-shaped camera, "360 Round", is fitted with 17 lenses, allowing it to live stream ultra-definition 3D videos. The camera is tough enough to be used in all weather conditions and its long-lasting batteries are suitable for outdoor filming. Samsung said its new gadget will be available in the United States in October.
"We have developed a product that contains innovative VR features, allowing video producers and broadcast professionals to easily produce high-quality 3D content," said Hahn Suk-Jea, the executive vice president of Samsung's global mobile division, at a developer conference.
360 Round is the final product of "PROJECT BEYOND", a secret project led by a special thinktank team in 2014.
Samsung's new high-end gadget camera is an extension of the lineup of 360-degree angle cameras. The company has entered the 360-degree camera market in 2016 with "Gear 360", a handheld camera capable of filming around-view panoramic images and videos. Samsung strengthened its lineup by releasing the second version earlier this year.
While the global high-end 360-degree VR camera market has only a few runners, Samsung's rival, Nokia, said earlier this month that it would stop the development and production of "OZO", a high-end VR camera for professionals.
LG and other camera companies such as Ricoh and Kodak have produced 360-degree cameras which target the general consumer market, making Samsung the sole runner in the high-end 360-degree VR camera market.