There's currently no better way to get started with virtual reality.
When Samsung and Oculus debuted their Gear VR headset almost a year ago, the companies made it clear the device wasn't yet ready for the masses. Billed as "Innovator Edition" models, the original Gear VRs were intended mainly for early adopters. They only fitted a limited number of phones -- the original was designed just for the Note 4; the second for the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge -- and were also quite pricey at $200 per headset.
Beginning November 10, 2015, Samsung began taking pre-orders of their new Samsung Gear VR headset through Amazon.com, BestBuy.com, and Samsung.com. On November 20, 2015, Samsung and Oculus released the first-ever consumer-ready version of the Gear VR for shipment. The new Samsung Gear VR headset is smaller, lighter, cheaper (only $99) and is compatible with more phones (the Note 5, S6, S6 Edge and S6 Edge+). But, more importantly, its content library has exploded, with more VR apps and games than ever before. Virtual reality has finally gone mainstream, and there's no better way to get started than with the new Gear VR.
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Summary
Samsung's Gear VR is the company's first virtual reality headset designed for everyday consumers. For just $99 and a compatible Samsung phone, you can dive into an incredible experience that'll have you watching 360-degree movies and playing super immersive games. Yes, it only works with a limited number of phones, but right now, there's no better option if you want to give VR a try.
Hardware
Samsung never made any pretensions that the Gear VR would be small and portable -- it's always been a rather large headset that looks like you have a giant pair of ski goggles strapped on your face. But every iteration of the Gear VR has been more lightweight than the last, and the new consumer-ready version is no exception. Samsung says it's about 19 percent lighter, and I definitely feel it. The previous models had chunky white plastic around the head straps while the current model has none. This not only reduces the headset's overall weight, but makes it far less cumbersome to put on. All you do is strap the headset to your head with a couple of elasticized Velcro straps -- one around the back of your head and the other around the top -- and you're ready to go. The top strap is technically optional, but I liked having it on for a more secure fit.
The fit, by the way, is pretty excellent. The soft foam padding around the eyes and the nose bridge makes the fit very comfortable (My discomfort came from nausea instead; more on that later). Another upside is that new Gear VR also easily accommodates most glasses -- I was able to wear mine without too much shifting around. That said, if you have a relatively lightweight prescription, you might want to go without your glasses entirely for additional comfort. Plus, the Gear VR has a focus wheel at the top so you can easily adjust the focus to match your eyesight.
Like all the previous Gear VRs, the new model is not a standalone headset -- it's essentially a VR viewer for your phone; sort of a fancier version of Google's Cardboard, if you will. Except that unlike Cardboard, the Gear VR has additional hardware -- an accelerometer, a gyroscope and proximity-based sensors -- on board to reduce latency and increase the performance overall.
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To get started, you'll have to snap the phone onto the front of the Gear VR so that the display faces the headset's stereoscopic lenses. Simply dock the phone into a micro-USB dock on the left and then lock it in place with a plastic holder on the right. At least for now, the Gear VR is compatible with four different Samsung phones: the Galaxy S6, the S6 Edge, the S6 Edge+ and the Note 5. Since the latter two phones are slightly larger than the others, the Gear VR has a toggle that you can use to slide the micro-USB dock to the left or right to accommodate the different sizes. Though it seems like the headset's use is limited to just these four phones, Samsung told us that it's highly likely the current Gear VR could be compatible with future Samsung phones too.
By default, controls are relegated to the four-way directional touchpad on your right temple. It's much more contoured than previous Gear VR models plus there's a raised center nub, which makes the whole thing far easier to use -- you can just feel your way around to figure out the controls. Above the touchpad is a back button, which has been relocated slightly to the right for easier accessibility, while a volume rocker is located to the front.
Though it's not included with the Gear VR, I also recommend you wear a pair of headphones with it, as it'll make your VR experience more immersive. There are also a few games that would benefit from the use of a dedicated gamepad controller (again, this isn't included with the headset), which you can connect to the phone via Bluetooth.
Hand-On Test
I tested the Gear VR with a Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+. Setup was pretty easy; once you have the phone loaded into the headset, you're pretty much ready to go. As soon as it docks into place, the handset will automatically launch Oculus Home, a VR content portal from where you can launch a variety of apps, movies or games (if you don't have the Oculus app installed, it'll prompt you to do so). Virtual reality content has exploded in the past year, and nowhere is this more evident than the variety available on the Oculus Store -- Samsung and Oculus tells us there are already more than a 100 apps and games on board, with even more coming down the pipeline.
Before we delve into the content, let's talk about the display quality. In short, it's not great. Since you're essentially pressing the phone's screen up to your face, there's definitely a slight "screen door effect" where you can spot individual pixels. This effect seems a lot more reduced than previous Gear VR headsets, but it was still noticeable. As a result, videos looked pretty pixilated and games just didn't look as sharp as I would like. Of course, a lot of this is dependent on the phone's display -- the S6 Edge+ has a very good 1440 x 2560 Quad HD resolution, but even that didn't prove sharp enough when magnified with the Gear VR's lenses. I'll admit to brushing aside the need for phones with 4K displays, but perhaps there's a real benefit if you plan to use them with VR headsets.
That said, once I started really playing around with the content, I found myself casting those display quibbles aside. Viewing 360-degree video of an ocean landscape was wonderfully serene and peaceful, and I also enjoyed watching episodes of Doctor Who on Netflix as if I were in movie theater. Playing games was especially delightful: Shooting at incoming drones in EVE:Gunjack and flying around on a jetpack in Omega Agent was fun and engaging. Being able to look around you to home in on enemy targets feels a lot more interactive than just waggling a thumbstick.
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My favorite game by far, however, is Land's End, a puzzle game akin toMyst or Monument Valley. Set on a rocky island, you solve puzzles by staring at dots to illuminate them, tracing a line from dot to dot in order to unlock a path. The immersive VR environment coupled with the game's tranquil soundtrack makes this one of the more meditative games I've ever come across. Note: I recommend using a swivel chair to play some of these games so that you don't suffer from too much neck strain.
As much as I was having fun however, I found that I could not wear the Gear VR for very long periods of time. That's because it does make me feel a bit nauseous; I had to take the headset off every half hour or so to stop my head from spinning. Of course, your mileage may vary here, but it's worth the warning. I happen to be one of those people who suffers from motion sickness on boats and while traveling down windy roads, so I'm perhaps more susceptible to this kind of thing.
Another thing to watch out for is battery life. After a solid hour of VR time, the phone's battery dropped by as much as 20 percent. After four or five hours, the phone was nearly dead. Also beware if you do want to keep the phone in VR mode for very long, as it does occasionally get hot enough to overheat.
The Competition
If you just wanted to get your feet wet with virtual reality, Google's Cardboard is not a bad start. After all, it costs close to nothing and it's dead easy to set up. The downsides, of course, is that it doesn't offer nearly the same degree of sophistication and immersion that the Gear VR does. The Gear VR has straps so you can wear it for hours on end, additional on-board sensors to reduce latency, plus it has a dedicated touchpad for greater control. At the end of the day, Google Cardboard is just, well, cardboard, while Samsung's Gear VR is a full-fledged dive into virtual reality.
The Google Cardboard VR headset is available through Amazon for under $20.00 (Click Image To Enlarge)
Then again, Gear VR's performance doesn't quite compare to more advanced VR headsets like the Oculus Rift, the PlayStation VR and the HTC Vive. For one thing, Samsung's Gear VR doesn't have positional head tracking, so you can't do things like duck behind walls or bend your head down to take a closer look at something on the ground. The other headsets also promise to be far more powerful -- the Rift and the Vive will be powered by high-end gaming rigs while the Playstation VR will harness the computational prowess of the PS4. That should lead to a higher fidelity experience with better graphics and better physics -- features that even the best smartphone won't be able to match.
Oculus Rift VR headset is designed for professional VR developers. The headset and Oculus' software developers kit (SDK) is available on Amazon for $1,275.00 (Click Image To Enlarge)
Yet, those other systems aren't even available to the public yet. Plus, they promise to be much more expensive. Though the prices aren't official just yet, rumor is that they'll cost at least $300 each. And that doesn't even include the cost of a high-end gaming PC, which could be well over $1,000. If you plan on going with the Playstation VR, a PS4 isn't cheap either, retailing at around $350. Even if you were to buy a Gear VR along with a compatible Samsung phone, that would only run around $500 to $700 if you get your phone off-contract. Additionally, all three rival headsets need to be tethered to their source computer, which limits your movements when playing games. The $99 Gear VR, on the other hand, is completely mobile, letting you swivel around on your chair or take it anywhere.
Sony's Project Morpheus is now called PlayStation VR and has a vague release date of Q1 2016, but Sony has not announced a price (Click Image To Enlarge)
The HTC Vive VR headset was designed for professional VR developers and will be available for pre-ordering in February 2016 with shipments in April 2016. No prices have been announced (Click Image To Enlarge)
Closing Statements
If Google Cardboard gives a taste of virtual reality, Samsung's Gear VR offers up a whole feast. With just the addition of a smartphone, you can get a truly immersive VR headset that lets you travel distant lands, watch movies and shoot up spaceships in alien worlds. It's comfortable to wear for hours at a time -- even if you wear glasses -- and controls are intuitive and easy to understand. Yes, it's only compatible with Samsung's latest handsets and no, it's not quite as advanced as headsets like the Oculus Rift. But at only $99, Samsung's Gear VR still makes for a great entry-level VR headset for the everyday consumer. If you already have a compatible Samsung phone, it's a no-brainer.
COMMENTARY: If you haven't already done so, I urge you to read my blog post of September 24, 2015, when Facebook and Samsung announced the Samsung Gear VR headset at the Oculus Connect 2 Developers Conference.
With Gear VR, Samsung gets to be the first to push VR hardware out to the mainstream and it serves as a lure to bring brand-new Galaxy owners in. The company is putting itself at the tip of a sector that; according to SuperData's Stephanie Llamas, will drive the bulk of VR sales at first.
The mobile slice of the VR sector is forecasted to generate nearly $1 billion in revenues by the end of 2016 and fatten to about $4.4 billion by the close of 2019, according to SuperData Researcher's preliminary study into the nascent market.
The big lure for early adopters is the very affordable price of $99.00. This pricing strategy appears to have worked with both BestBuy and Amazon reporting that they are out-of-stock, but are taking back orders for delivery at a future date. If you already own a Samsung Galaxy S6, S6 Edge, S6 Edge+ or Note 5 you are good to go, but first you must download the Oculus VR software. Once installed, you will be able to run over 100+ (and growing) VR apps designed for the headset.
I haven't tried the Samsung Gear VR headset yet, but Amazon claims the headset is a No 1 best seller and owners have given it an average review rating of 4.5 stars. 65% of owners have given it a 5 star rating. The biggest complaint from Amazon owners has been the video quality which depends on the resolution of your Samsung phone. Owners are also reporting that the headset is a huge drain on your phone's battery, can cause your phone to overheat, and you may experience eye fatigue if you use the headset several hours. All users loved the low price and highly emersive VR experience.
Some Altenatives
If you are still hesitant to dive in and buy the Samsung Gear VR headset, there are several lower-priced alternatives (yes, there are) you may wish to consider. All of these fall into the "starter" category and are a great way to experience virtual reality on the cheap.
- Google Cardboard VR is a starter headset made of cardboard that sells for $12.98 on Amazon. Owners called the Google Cardboard VR headset "simple, fun and affordable." To use the headset you need to download the free Cardboard app from Google Play. According to Google Play, the Cardboard app has been reviewed by nearly 69,000 owners and has received an average user review of 4.2 stars (out of 5). The Google Cardboard VR headset will accommodate phones with displays up to 6-inches in size and running Android OS 4.1 or higher. Google Play claims between 1-5 million Cardboard app downloads. Amazon says they are temporarily out-of-stock, but the site says they will have more on December 19, 2015. Hypergrid Business published a list of 22 online sites where you can buy Google Cardboard VR. Google Cardboard is also available through Walmart and BestBuy, but you will pay a bit more. The Google Cardboard VR head garnered a review of 4 stars on Google Play. 74% of owners gave it 5 stars.
- View-Master VR Starter Pack - Is compatible with and uses the Google Cardboard app (see above). The Starter Pack includes one View-Master viewer, one Preview Reel, one adapter for the iPhone 5, iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s and a user guide. The Preview Reel included with the Starter Pack allows you to sample View-Master VR apps, such as Space, Destinations and National Geographic: Wildlife. You can fully explore these exotic new worlds by purchasing View-Master VR Experience Packs (sold separately). Reviews averaged 4 stars from Amazon users. Available at Amazon, Target, Toys R US, Barnes & Noble and Walmart. $24.99 to $29.99.
- FIVESUNG 3D VR headset - This is a knock-off of the Google Cardboard VR viewer, but made of plastic. Reviews are all over the place. Reviews averaged 3 stars from Amazon users. Available at Amazon and owner reviews were mixed averaging 3.8 stars (out of 5). Price: $19.99.
Courtesy of an article dated November 15, 2015 appearing in Engadget, an article dated November 20, 2015 appearing in CNN Money, an article dated October 28, 2015 appearing in Wearable, an article dated December 12, 2015 appearing in Tech Times, an article dated November 23, 2015 appearing in Tech Times, and an article dated August 10, 2014 appearing in Hypergrid Business
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