Samsung and Dubai World Trade Center Host the Largest VR Theatre Experience in the Middle East at GITEX Technology Week

Virtual Reality set to be a game-changer in elevating consumer experience for brands

Dubai, UAE, October 17, 2016:  Samsung is bringing to GITEX Technology Week the largest virtual reality (VR) theatre in the region. Running at the Dubai World Trade Centre between October 16 to 20, GITEX Technology Week is the largest technology exchange and marketplace for Middle East and Africa. 

A dedicated VR Theatre will be the highlight of Samsung’s presence at the event, showcasing to visitors the creative and entertainment capabilities of the Gear VR. As many as 32 4D motion chairs arranged in eight rows will form the VR theatre. The stand will adjoin a 360 cabin that will let visitors take 360-degree images of themselves using the Gear 360 camera.  A digital pond showcases the IP68 water resistance feature of the Galaxy Note7 and accompanying S Pen. Product experts will also highlight to visitors the iris-scanning security feature of the device.

C. Purushothaman, Head of Marketing (Smartphones & Tablets), IT & Mobile Division at Samsung Gulf Electronics commented, “From an industry point of view, content creation agencies especially within the media sector stand to benefit greatly from VR. I am of the belief that all organizations need to experiment with VR to elevate brand experience. VR is enabling consumers to engage with brands like never before. Using the Gear 360, they can also create and share such content themselves. VR is finding uses not just in entertainment, but also medicine, training, education, to name a few. Dubai’s real estate sector with its pipeline of infrastructure projects stands to especially benefit from VR, with companies around the world already employing the technology to help consumers visualize how their projects would come to life. We also call on developers to cultivate compelling VR applications and continue to push the frontiers of technology.”

The Gear VR adds support for USB on-the-go (OTG), which allows third-party peripherals to connect to the experience. This is a new feature that developers can leverage to build new experiences on top of Gear VR, such as future input schemes, and is a potential area of innovation for Gear VR. The GearVRf API provides VR application developers with simplified access to Oculus SDK functionality, via the Java Native Interface and the GearVRf native library. The latest Gear VR is compatible with the Galaxy Note7 connecting using USB Type C, and to older models using an adaptor that switches to MicroUSB. 

“GITEX is consistently growing as Dubai emerges as a global events hub with its international connectivity, ease of business and the first-mover advantage it has with the implementation of the latest technology. We are very excited to host Samsung and the region’s largest VR theatre at the event this year and hope to repeat these milestone successes in years to come,” added Trixie LohMirmand, Senior Vice-President, Exhibitions and Events Management, Dubai World Trade Centre.

Samsung will also have its other world-class consumer electronics on display at the event. Its pavilion will be located in Hall 6 – Stand 5 (MAC 6-5) at the Dubai World Trade Center.