Samsung Gear VR Review
The Samsung Gear VR launched in India in January and Gadgets 360 has spent a little over a week using one now, paired with a Samsung Galaxy Note 5 Dual SIM. This isn't the first time that we've used this particular headset - we've had short chances using it at different trade shows and other events, but this was the first time that we got to use the headset for an extended period of time, and we've been able to pick and choose as many different experiences as we wanted. Over the course of our time with theGear VR we came away quite impressed with the headset, but were also left feeling that there is a lot of room for improvement.
Gear VR, Oculus Rift, and Google Cardboard
If you're not already familiar with the Gear VR, it's a virtual reality headset developed jointly by Samsung and Oculus VR, the Facebook-owned company behind the Rift headset. The Oculus Rift is now available for gamers, but the device is expensive (it costs $599, roughly Rs. 39,500) and also requires anexpensive, high-performance PC to power the experience.
If you're not already familiar with the Gear VR, it's a virtual reality headset developed jointly by Samsung and Oculus VR, the Facebook-owned company behind the Rift headset. The Oculus Rift is now available for gamers, but the device is expensive (it costs $599, roughly Rs. 39,500) and also requires anexpensive, high-performance PC to power the experience.
The Gear VR on the other hand is a much simpler device that works using your mobile phone to process all the information, and it's only one-tenth the price. The experiences are a little limited in comparison to the "full" VR experience you'd get from the Rift (or from a competing product like theHTC Vive) but considering the savings in money, and the ease of setup and use, there's a lot to be said in favour of devices like the Gear VR.
This may make the Samsung Gear VR sound a lot like Google Cardboard but there are some key differences, and as a result, the overall is a lot better. Google's affordable VR headsets will work with a number of devices, but this means that the screen and processing power on hand aren't consistent for all users. On the other hand, the Gear VR is compatible with only a very small number of Samsung flagship phones, which means app developers have to support only a small set of hardware specifications. This is what enables high-end experiences such as EVE: Gunjack, which is powered by Unreal Engine 4. It's hard to imagine something like that making it to Cardboard apps.
In general, the build quality of the Gear VR is miles ahead of any Cardboard headset we've used, and it comes with some features that make it far superior to anything other VR experience on mobile phones. Another big difference between the Gear VR and Cardboard is that it does not rely on just your phone's sensors, but has its own; this makes for a much steadier experience than Cardboard, where the view might suddenly jump in the middle of a VR experience.
But perhaps the biggest selling point for the Gear VR is simply the level of polish you'll have in the experience. For example, the moment you connect the headset to your phone's Micro-USB port, the Android interface is replaced by Oculus' UI, and you can navigate between different experiences entirely in VR. With Cardboard, you're constantly jumping back to the home screen and out of VR as you move between experiences. Add to this the generally higher quality apps available via the Oculus Store, and the Gear VR starts to look very compelling when compared to Cardboard headsets, if it's compatibility wasn't limited to select Samsung handsets
Design
The headset also comes with controls built into it, so you can do more than just look around, even without a Bluetooth controller, and the straps and other design elements make it easy to go fully hands-free with the Gear VR, helping your sense of immersion. There is also a dial you can use to adjust the focus, so you can easily use the headset without your glasses. It's just about roomy enough that you can jam in there with your glasses on, but if possible, going without them is certainly more comfortable.
The headset also comes with controls built into it, so you can do more than just look around, even without a Bluetooth controller, and the straps and other design elements make it easy to go fully hands-free with the Gear VR, helping your sense of immersion. There is also a dial you can use to adjust the focus, so you can easily use the headset without your glasses. It's just about roomy enough that you can jam in there with your glasses on, but if possible, going without them is certainly more comfortable.
Speaking of design, the Gear VR is a fairly typical looking VR headset. It looks a bit like ski goggles, as the visor covers up your entire face, with foam lining around the edge so it shouldn't feel uncomfortable to wear. The nose pad is also similarly lined and in our experience it is possible to wear it for a couple of hours without any issues, while things like battery life, and even disorientation, will make you exit VR sooner.
The white plastic body looks like it will pick up stains really quickly but for now at least, our unit still looks fine. Some people have talked about how the foam can start to smell over time as it absorbs sweat, so the one thing we'd probably suggest is to use the headset in a nicely air-conditioned room.
The headset weighs 380g and the phone used adds another 181g, and although that sounds like a lot, the weight's well balanced and you don't really feel it once the two sets of straps are in place around your head.
There's a Micro-USB port on the bottom of the headset, which you can use to charge your phone while wearing it, though it's a little uncomfortable to do so. Moving your head around when tethered this way often brings you up short, and you're really better off taking the phone out of the headset and not using it while it's being charged.
The opaque panel on the back snaps off easily, and you connect your phone to the Micro-USB port in the connecting hinge. Then, you can put the cover on top again if you want to, or if you plan to use the phone's rear camera, just leave the cover somewhere. The phone is pretty securely attached so you don't need to worry about fitting the cover for some additional safety.
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Getting started
When you plug the phone into the headset for the first time, the Oculus software download will begin, and once this is done, you can use the headset. The Oculus software suite puts you inside a VR environment, and you can look around, navigate through the store, and through different VR experiences; it's like a launcher for VR and it serves as your home screen. When you start, there is a small calibration process that involves looking around, and Oculus teaches you how to use the trackpad on the side of the screen, and then you're free to do whatever you want.
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