Project Moohan slogan got me excited, but it might just be marketing

I've been watching the virtual reality scene from the sidelines for a long time. I never actually bought a VR/XR headset due to several factors, including pricing, technical specifications, and eyesight-related hurdles. But I never fully shook off the temptation to buy into VR, and Samsung's brand-new Project Moohan trailer got me excited again for one specific reason.

Namely, Samsung's trailer ends with the slogan “Worlds Wide Open.” And in my mind, this message, combined with the visuals in the trailer, suggests that Project Moohan boasts a wide field of view (FoV). But is that really what's going on here? Or am I reading too much into Samsung's marketing?

Sadly, I think it's probably the latter. According to people who have tried earlier Project Moohan prototypes, the headset's field of view is comparable to other headsets from brands like Oculus and Apple.

Apple never officially revealed the Vision Pro‘s FoV specifications, but it and the Meta Quest 3 are both said to hover around 100 degrees. For reference, the human field of view is around 200 degrees horizontal.

Now, to be clear, I know that the field of view is not the only thing that contributes to a decent VR/XR experience. In fact, there are numerous other variables, many of which never come into play when using regular 2D screens. Key variables include:

And you can probably add even more factors to that list. Nevertheless, for me, a wide field of view has always been one of the most critical factors for VR and XR immersion. It might be cool to experience a 3D environment, but if I feel like I'm looking through a pair of fairly restrictive goggles, then I'm probably going to have a hard time enjoying myself in the long run.

Circling back to Project Moohan, a.k.a. Galaxy XR, Samsung's new teaser trailer and the Worlds Wide Open slogan seem promising to someone who expects a wider field of view from their VR/XR experience. But if “Worlds Wide Open” turns out to be more poetic than literal, here’s hoping Samsung’s real breakthrough lies elsewhere.

Either way, I'm looking forward to seeing what XR experience Samsung, Qualcomm, and Google have cooked up for the past few years. If you are interested in Samsung's XR headset, you can now pre-register and later benefit from a $100 discount.