Forget about the Samsung Gear VR. Samsung is officially exploring standalone VR headsets.

Samsung currently dabbles in the virtual reality headset space, thanks to the Samsung Gear VR, which is basically a high-tech virtual reality viewer that works with specific Samsung smartphones. The Gear VR needs a phone for display and processing power. But Samsung has been developing another VR headset that doesn't require a phone. In other words, it's a standalone VR headset.

A VR eye-tracking firm called Visual Camp just posted a press release that appears to reveal an early version of an all-in-one VR headset developed by Samsung. Visual Camp developed the eye-tracking technology used in this unannounced Samsung device, which is labeled "Exynos VR III" in the press release. Presumably, the headset is a follow-up to a Samsung Exynos VR II headset.

The new prototype runs on 10nm SoC with Mali G71 graphics (maybe the Exynos 9 Series chip?), which powers dual "WQHD+" displays at 90Hz or one 4K display at 75Hz. We don't know which screen is inside the pictured VR headset. In addition to eye-tracking, the Exynos VR headset, which looks quite large, supports “hand tracking, voice recognition, and facial expression recognition.”

Now, Samsung apparently showed off this headset in March at MWC 2017. At the event, Samsung also revealed its new Exynos 3 and VR reference platform. Keep in mind it's not unusual for chipmakers to demo the potential of - and uses cases for - their silicon. However, it was reported last year that Samsung was working on a standalone headset and had an interest in hand tracking to boot.

But we still have our doubts that this headset will ever come to market, considering we never heard of the Exynos VR II that came before it, and the prototype pictured looks wholly unfinished.