Samsung Electronics Singapore and Refract Technologies, a game and technology company with expertise in extended reality (XR) and artificial intelligence (AI) for interactive entertainment and enterprise applications, has announced they have entered a strategic agreement to collaborate on the creation of new immersive experiences for consumers in gaming, virtual sports, and other activities in market.
The partnership will explore how Refract and Samsung can come together to expand the use cases of XR with the AXIS system for consumers and enterprises. Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones will serve as the official main hub for Refract’s AXIS, the proprietary wireless and occlusion-proof inside-out full-body tracking system designed for gamers and content creators to use their bodies as controllers. This has started with the shipment of Samsung Galaxy A53 5G, which was included with each set of AXIS to Kickstarter backers starting in 2022. Announced in March 2022, the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G balances robust processing capabilities at an optimal price point, making it the ideal hub for AXIS.
In addition, Refract, and Samsung will collaborate to identify possible joint activities and projects that will contribute to technology development and innovation for both companies, as well as establish go-to-market efforts to drive broader adoption of immersive experiences powered by XR, AI, and Samsung’s hardware solutions.
Refract and Samsung’s collaboration will debut in the form of Virtual Taekwondo competitions and exhibitions, starting with a showcase at the inaugural Olympic Esports Week in Singapore from 22-25 June and other World Taekwondo Championships and Grand Prix events in 2023. The Federation’s goal is to eventually make Virtual Taekwondo one of the first medal virtual sports at the Olympic Games.
“We are excited to partner with Samsung as they are a leading consumer electronics brand that enables continued innovation in the age of 5G and AI. Besides relying on the quality and processing capabilities of Samsung Galaxy phones, we look forward to jointly exploring further opportunities in designing cutting-edge XR experiences around both our products,” said Refract Technologies CEO Michael Chng.
“Technology continues to drive new frontiers of innovation, and we want to be able to bring new experiences for our consumers. Partnering with Refract will support our goals of creating technology that can touch the lives of our users and more, and we are very excited to see advanced technologies such as extended reality come to life with the help of our Galaxy 5G devices. We are also looking forward to collaborating closely with Refract to explore more opportunities where we can bring XR experiences across more of our products, making next-generation immersive experiences a reality for more,” said Samsung Electronics Singapore president Dennis Jang.
