Gear VR: Has Samsung Perfected The Mobile Virtual Reality Headset?
When Samsung came out with the developer’s edition of the Gear VR in December of 2014, the consensus was that the headset was cool and groundbreaking, but flawed. At the time, it only worked with the Galaxy Note 4. CNET gave the device three-and-a-half stars.
“The Gear VR emphasizes videos and ‘experiences’ more than games, but half the currently available apps are games, and they play much better than I expected. As an out-of-the-gate mobile VR experience — even with an admittedly paltry initial content roster — the Gear VR is a bigger success than I had originally expected.”
However, the review criticized the Gear VR for only working with the Galaxy Note 4 and the fact that it had a grainy video resolution. Others criticized the device for how easily the lenses fog up and the fact that the field of view (FOV) was too small. With the second consumer edition of the Gear VR, Samsung has fixed some of these issues.
PC Magazine has given the 2016 Gear VR four stars.
“The new Samsung Gear VR is a functional, accessible, and affordable way to play with VR if you have a compatible Galaxy phone, and anyone with even a passing interest in VR should seriously consider giving it a shot.”
“It doesn’t pack much in the way of hardware surprises, but enough has changed within the new Gear VR that it’s difficult to mistake for last year’s model,” says critic Kyle Wiggers, who adds that the new Gear VR not only has a new USB-C connection, but also has a new dedicated menu button and is a little bit larger than the previous Gear VR.
News Atlas has also discussed the positive changes to the new Gear VR.
“When you first put on the new Gear VR, one of the most obvious changes is that there’s more space inside the mask. This gives the headset a roomier feel, but it also has the unexpected happy byproduct of eliminating lens fog.”
The article adds that the death of the fog lens alone may make the $99 upgrade worth it for owners of previous versions of Gear VR headsets. This time, there is no need to purchase special chemical agents to keep the fog out.
A couple months back, it was reported that Samsung is working on a Gear VR that wouldn’t require the use of one of its headsets as the screen. According to Variety, Samsung’s plans for virtual reality would go beyond the company’s current Gear VR headsets. They are allegedly working on a standalone VR headset that would incorporate positional tracking similar to the technologies used on desktop devices such as the HTC Vive or Oculus Rift. There is no word yet on when this headset would be available.
One thing is clear: virtual reality is here to stay. With Samsung finally building an affordable mobile headset that you want to use for hours, the virtual reality industry is not only going to take off, but explode within the next year or so.
[Image via Daryl Deino]
