Microsoft has reportedly struck a deal with Samsung for OLED panels that could power a new line of mixed reality headsets. Korean outlet The Chosen reported earlier this week that (according to a machine translation) the partnership is still in its early stages, with mass production not expected to begin until 2026. A source told the outlet that the order could be for “hundreds of thousands” of units and that the device would be focused on watching flat-screen games and video content, not “metaverse” engagement.
Samsung announced in 2023 that it would partner with Google (whose AR/VR history is also quite rocky) and Qualcomm on a new headset, which there were rumors to appear later this year. Meanwhile, Microsoft has been pushing its apps for the Meta Quest headset for a few years now. That’s an exciting amount of potential competition for the mixed reality space – if any of these headsets actually make it out the door.