Oculus Go

Since May 1, the Oculus Go is a new, inexpensive pair of VR glasses on the market. I ordered the device from the Facebook subsidiary Oculus and took a close look at it. My test report. My first experience with virtual reality dates back to 2016 when I ordered the Gear VR headset from Samsung, into which I could plug my Samsung Galaxy S7. Although the setup gave a good first impression of virtual reality, after a short time the device mainly got dusty in the corner and was only used from time to time to give a visitor his first virtual reality experience.

After that, the topic was relatively uninteresting for myself, especially since there was only little content and some apps showed slight signs of motion sickness. Somehow the air was out relatively quickly.

During my last vacation in the USA I visited the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. There was a virtual reality simulator there that reawakened my interest in the technology. The virtual visit of a space station was so impressive that the desire to be VR-ready at home was manifested again.

What then fascinated me when the Oculus Go was announced was its appearance as a stand-alone system at a reasonable price. The annoying use of my smartphone was completely eliminated. There was also no need to have a PC or similar connected all the time. Since I find the technology itself very exciting, I ordered the Oculus Go the day after the show. The delivery took place only a few days later.

The market

Virtual reality technology is developing successively. Prices are slowly going down. However, virtual reality has not yet achieved the major breakthrough. After initial euphoria, the medium is currently in a phase of self-discovery.

Since the purchase of Oculus by Facebook, there has not been a really gigantic takeover in the VR sector. Many game manufacturers have already withdrawn from the development of 360-degree titles because they cannot sell enough units.

There is actually no doubt: technology-loving experts have clearly overestimated the speed at which virtual reality is advancing to a mass product. Compared to the number of smartphones sold each year, the number of VR headsets sold to men and women looks downright puny.

Nevertheless, numerous headset suppliers are already vying for the attention of customers. The cheapest entry point is, for example, the Google Cardboard.

Meanwhile, the HTC Vive Pro forms the uppermost premium segment. Owners of a Playstation 4 can choose the Playstation VR. Besides the Google Cardboard, there are also some more comfortable headsets with smartphone slots, such as the Samsung Gear VR or Google Daydream.

The Oculus Go itself has a big brother called Oculus Rift. The selection is as rich as it is confusing.

Content and installation

After opening the carton, its contents are presented: In addition to the VR headset, Facebook includes a controller including battery, a carrying cord for the controller, a charging cable (without a socket part), an attachment for spectacle wearers, a cleaning cloth and operating instructions.

The term stand-alone device is actually a little misleading, as a smartphone is still required for operation at the beginning. The Oculus App is downloaded from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store*.

After logging in to Oculus, the app establishes the Wifi connection of the Oculus Go and a Bluetooth connection between headset and controller.

Once the setup is complete, the smartphone is generally no longer needed. However, it is still possible to access the Oculus App Store via the app and download new apps to the VR glasses.

This may be more comfortable for some people than within the immersive VR environment. The installation is very easy. However, I would have liked it better if the installation process could have been done without a smartphone. But coming to the hardware itself now.

Hardware

The Oculus Go has a screen resolution of 2,560 x 1,440 pixels, which is divided 50 percent horizontally to each eye (1,280 x 1,440 pixels).

This means that the resolution is even higher than that of the Oculus Rift. However, thanks to the OLED display, it offers better colors than the LCD display of the Oculus Go. Despite the higher resolution, the picture is also worse than its expensive brother. In some apps I could see visible staircase effects.

• Overall the picture is decent. The refresh rate is 60 or 72 Hertz, depending on the app.
• The processor used is a Snapdragon 821 processor from 2016. There are two different memory sizes available (not expandable via SD card): 32 and 64 gigabytes.
• These are all not outstanding components. However, they have been specially optimized for virtual reality use. In any case, the lenses of the glasses look more valuable than their Samsung Gear VR counterparts.
• The headset itself has two buttons on the top: one for switching on and off and a rocker switch for adjusting the volume. Alternatively, headphones can be connected to the 3.5 millimetre input on the left-hand side. There are no other inputs or switches.

The built-in loudspeakers work fine, but they are also nothing special. Those looking for full immersion will probably be happier with headphones.

Battery life

According to the manufacturer, the Oculus Go’s battery should last about three hours before the device has to be plugged in again. (It can still be used while charging. However, this is not recommended in the user manual).

The charging process takes a few hours, so that a virtual reality session can sometimes be rudely interrupted by an empty battery. I have not yet reached a runtime of three hours myself. Usually, it ends after 2.5 hours. For me personally this is not a big problem, because I need a break after 30 minutes at the latest.

The controller

The Oculus Go comes with a single handheld controller that has three physical buttons in addition to a touchpad: A kind of pistol button on the front and a home and Oculus button on the top. The included target cord can be attached to the bottom of the controller.

The ergonomics of the controller is well done. The device can be held very well in the hand, even over longer periods of time. The controller is powered by an AA battery, which is included in the delivery. Technically the controller offers 3DOF (Three Degrees of Freedom). This means that it can recognize the movements and directions of the user. However, it is not able to detect whether the user is moving forward, backward, up, down or sideways.

These functions are reserved for devices with 6DOF, including the HTC Vive, Playstation VR or Oculus Rift.

So if you are looking for the complete virtual reality experience, where movement is possible throughout the room, you will have to resort to one of the more expensive devices. But the controller fulfils its other tasks easily and precisely.

Wearing comfort

With its weight of just under 450 grams, the foam edge and the buckles on the sides and top, the Oculus Go sits very comfortably at least on my head. It is also relatively comfortable over a longer period of time.

But I have also experienced that other people have had greater difficulty aligning the buckles so that the headset fits perfectly to their head. Here, everyone has to find out the best setting for themselves.

All in all, Oculus has done a good job of optimizing the wearing comfort for VR glasses in this price range. I personally find them better than, for example, Google Daydream.

Software

The Oculus Store currently offers about 1,000 apps in the form of movies, games, pictures and other applications. Among them are, for example, social networks. The selection is thus more extensive than for example Google Daydream.

The game quality ranges from poor to very decent. Some of my previous highlights are Catan VR, Dead Buried, Lands End or Jurassic Park: Apatosaurus. But it remains to be mentioned that unfortunately most of the games are not free. Apart from that, I was very impressed by Netflix, where you can sit in a virtual living room and watch the offered program on a big TV.

Next VR is also very impressive. Here you can watch specially produced sports videos from the NBA, NFL, Real Madrid or World Wrestling Entertainment. So you can find yourself directly at the basket, the wrestling post or the goal post.

This is already very strong and shows in an impressive way what virtual reality can be. Personally, I am also attracted by the travel videos on offer. Especially in the evening I like to take a virtual trip to Las Vegas or the Grand Canyon.
Price and availability

The Oculus Go can be ordered on the Oculus website since 1 May 2018. There are two versions, which differ in their storage capacity. The cheaper version costs 219 euros and offers 32 gigabytes of internal memory, while the 64 gigabyte model costs 269 euros.

Conclusion

Compared to smartphone-driven headsets such as the Samsung Gear VR or the Google Daydream, the Oculus Go is not a groundbreaking technical improvement.

Its advantage is largely that it simply makes immersion in virtual worlds more comfortable. There is no need to tediously insert a smartphone and use its battery life, which users usually need for more important things.

The price of the Oculus Go is absolutely ok for the bidding. If you want to get started with virtual reality, you will probably be very happy with the Oculus Go.

Those who want to get the most out of their headset technologically will probably be happier with the HTC Vive Pro or the Oculus Rift. What is still missing from the topic of virtual reality as a whole is the one killer app that is itself capable of boosting hardware sales. Here it is still: wait and see. We’ll see if it will be available.

Oculus Rift

Oculus Rift S is the successor of the first Rift, but not in the form of a new VR generation, but as a replacement for the original Rift. In the test of the Rift S, we clarify whether Oculus succeeds in publishing a convincing Rift successor in spite of restrained technical data. In the test of the Rift S, we clarify whether Oculus succeeds in publishing a convincing Rift successor in spite of restrained technical data.

The Oculus Rift S is available as of today. In our test we compare it with the first Rift, which appeared a good three years ago. There is no denying that the VR glasses Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, which were launched in 2016, have achieved greater market success with a few technical problems:

• The hardware is not very suitable for beginners, the image quality additionally deterred many gamers already spoiled by high-resolution displays and then there are the high system requirements.
• A rather narrow software selection did the rest – the hype before the release quickly subsided after the release.

But VR is not dead, as the new VR glasses that will be released this year already show. Even Valve will be mixing in with the index VR from June 2019. Apparently Oculus decided under the aegis of Facebook to improve the suboptimally started first generation instead of a second VR generation equipped with technical innovations.

With the Oculus Rift S in the test, no Rift 2.0 has therefore been released, but only a refresh with some changes in detail. Changes that, at least on paper, don’t always look like improvements. So it is all the more exciting for us to do the reality check.

The old Oculus Rift CV1 (left in the picture and already visibly used) is a bit bigger than the Rift S (right in the picture). The old Oculus Rift CV1 (left in the picture and already visibly used) is a bit bigger than the Rift S (right in the picture).

 Oculus Rift Specs

• While the first Oculus Rift is equipped with two OLED displays (resolution: 1,080×1,200 pixels per eye, 90 Hz), the Oculus Rift S uses a single LC display with 2,560×1,440 pixels (1,280×1,440 pixels per eye, 80 Hz).
• Compared to OLEDs, however, LCDs offer poorer black levels and often less lifelike colors, so the step to LCDs looks more like a downgrade than a major improvement in theory. Especially since the resolution has hardly increased at all.
• However, different rules apply for VR than for classic monitors: OLEDs, for example, have a longer afterglow of bright pixels, which leads to problems with VR glasses such as brightly over-illuminated image areas around bright surfaces. Accordingly, many manufacturers of VR glasses are currently switching to LCD.

Better late than never

Since a test sample has arrived in the meantime, we didn’t want to miss the opportunity to take a closer look at the hardware available since May 21. After all, the Rift platform still has a huge advantage: Similar to Sony, Oculus mother Facebook also pumps larger sums into exclusive developments, so that relatively elaborate titles like the action-packed agent thriller Defector (for testing) or the upcoming open action adventure Stormland become possible. It is a classic wired headset for use with a PC, the cable of which also “pulls on the leash” a little earlier with about five meters than in the Index, if you add the connector with the three-stripe there.

The low price of 449 Euro makes the device more interesting for beginners than the Valve Index with its 539 to 1079 Euro (depending on the bundle). This is especially true for customers who don’t yet have the basic tracking stations necessary for Vive and Index. On the other hand, the workmanship also looks a bit cheaper: Especially the simpler foam on the face pad looks as if it could unwind after a few years of operation (but so far, everything holds perfectly). In general, the wearing comfort is less “airy” than the index, so that you start sweating a little faster in summer temperatures. The heavy but ideally balanced Vive Pro also performs better in terms of seating.

Somewhat more relaxed

On the positive side, the Rift S with its sloping “head ring” distributes the weight much better than the old Rift or the very front-heavy Quest. So the neck remains relatively relaxed even during longer VR sessions. A clear disadvantage is the quiet, almost tinny whining slit headphones: they can’t even begin to keep up with the cleverly designed floating index headphones. In addition, the noise pollution of other people in the room is similar to that of the Quest (and greater than that of the Index). Instead, we quickly plugged headphones back into the mini-jack connector (3.5 mm) on the side instead.

The picture also gets the short straw with the only slightly increased resolution of 1280 x 1440 pixels. The index, on the other hand, scores with 1440×1600 pixels. The relatively exotic headsets HP Reverb (2160 x 2160 pixels) and Pimax 5KX (2560 x 1440) offer an even higher number of pixels per eye, but we can’t compare the two due to a lack of test samples. On the positive side, we found the god-rays (white streaks in strong contrasts) less unpleasant than with the old Rift or Index.

 Oculus Rift screen

A disadvantage, however, is the fact that the black borders between the individual pixels are more clearly visible than elsewhere. This is particularly surprising because this time LCD technology is used instead of OLED as in the predecessor. The fly screen thus remains somewhat more present than in the premium competition or the Quest.

The PSVR-like head ring makes it a little more comfortable to wear than the Rift or Quest. Nevertheless, after long sessions the eyes remain much more relaxed than with old headsets like Rift, Vive and PSVR. In addition, there are typical LCD disadvantages such as a slightly worse black level and less vivid colors. In addition, the picture on the LCD the index appears much more luminous than here. Instead of up to 144 hertz as with the index, the refresh rate has even been lowered: instead of the 90 hertz of the old Rift, you have to live with only 80 hertz. We didn’t really notice this negatively in operation, but it’s still a pity. It’s also a pity that there’s no mechanical regulator for the eye relief anymore, since, as with PSVR, only one screen was used. So you might give away some of the not too many pixels anyway.

HTC Vive

HTC released an improved version of the Vive in May 2018, which mainly fixed some gaps to the competitor Oculus Rift.

The concrete improvements in detail:

• Integrated headphones
• Higher resolution (2,880 x 1,600 pixels or 1,440 x 1,600 pixels per eye)
• Improved ergonomics
• Stereo camera (for potential Augmented Realtiy applications)
• Stereo microphone

However, it is only a small step, which also has a few disadvantages. The 3.5mm jack plug on the headset is omitted. The connection cable is no longer made of exchangeable components like HDMI or USB, but is a specially designed cable – so if it breaks down, you will inevitably have to buy a replacement from HTC and you are generally less flexible if you need a longer connection or want to connect the Vive in different places, for example. In addition, the Vive Pro can only be connected to the PC or graphics card with a DisplayPort cable – HDMI is no longer an option, which is why the new distribution box no longer has a connection for it.

The high resolution has an unjustified price

Due to the higher resolution even more power is required. An upgrade of the graphics card is virtually mandatory if you have not already purchased a high-end model in advance. The probably most critical point is the insufficient scope of delivery. HTC sells the Vive Pro at a UVP price of 879€. At first glance, it’s not even that expensive if you take the starting price of the normal Vive of just under 960€ from 2016 as a comparison.

The big but: the Vive Pro does NOT include a controller and tracking sensors (base stations). These must be purchased separately, which brings the total to 1.178€. HTC is probably promoting the Vive Pro as an upgrade for hardcore VR users and B2B customers for this reason as well.

For these reasons, HTC Vive Pro is only recommended for VR fans and business (B2B) customers who own a very powerful gaming PC or gaming laptop and are bothered by the visible pixel grid of its predecessor. Otherwise, especially considering the almost cheeky scope of delivery, the change is only worthwhile for absolute VR enthusiasts who absolutely want to see more sharply.

HTC Vive – The virtual dream room

HTC Vive with controllers Graphics from the frontThe VR headset from HTC, which was developed in close cooperation with the game manufacturer and Steam platform operator Valve, is technically very similar to the Oculus Rift. It features 1080 x 1200 pixels per eye, depending on the head shape and settings around 100° field of view (fov) and a tracking system for spatial perception of headset and controllers.

Millimetre-accurate detection in space

But it is above all in the last point that the great unique selling proposition lies. While you only place one or two small webcams (two for the touch controller) on the desk in the Oculus Rift, you mount two small transmitter stations (base stations) in two opposite corners of the room in the HTC Vive.

With the Steam VR software, which can be downloaded from Steam, a short setup with room measurement and synchronization is performed. Then it can already start.

The technology behind it: The base stations send high-frequency light signals through the room, which are registered by receiver points on the headset and the two controllers located on it. As a result, the HTC Vive system “knows” its position at all times, enabling a room-filling experience with very high precision.

The HTC Vive offers breathtaking worlds – a little space required

Young woman with HTC Vive in a bright roomYou can move freely with a Vive in a previously defined field. This must be at least 1.5m² in size and can officially be extended up to 5m². More area is theoretically possible, but HTC no longer guarantees 100% accurate tracking. However, newer base stations should solve this problem in the future.

The system and a built-in camera in the headset warn you if a wall or obstacle should appear. The scales then match the displayed game world. Controller and head movements are transmitted 1:1.

HTC and Valve christened the technology “Room-Scale VR” and gave it its own section on the popular game marketplace with Steam VR. It offers a variety of innovative possibilities – from drawing applications in space, to a virtual ascent of Mount Everest, to full-fledged games with a real sense of space. There is only one requirement for the games: they must be at least partially adapted to Room-Scale VR.

More and more room-filling games and programs

HTC Vive Controller and TackerIn practice, you can draw three-dimensional sculptures, fly around the world or visit famous places on Google Maps in HTC Vive, play a few casual rounds of sports games with or against human players, and interact with them. The spatial impression is incredibly convincing. Especially when you have to walk around and interact directly with objects.

What’s striking about it is that HTC Vive doesn’t have exclusive titles like Oculus Rift, which are offered in a separate store. The system remains open through the collaboration with Valve and their gaming platform Steam. Only the control options with Room-Scale VR make the difference. With the touch controllers from the Rift, this is at least partially possible. The Oculus Rift offers a room-filling gaming experience with the Oculus touch controllers, but is fixed to a smaller gaming surface due to the tracking system with two webcams and the shorter cable to the headset. But don’t worry: Games that don’t rely exclusively on the rumm-sized VR concept can still be played with a classic gamepad. Either as a separate and customized version or with a control option in the menu – both with the Vive and with another VR headset.

PSVR

The term “Virtual Reality (VR)” is used to describe an artificial world that is so detailed in its implementation that one believes one is really in this world. The PlayStation Plus VR glasses on the PlayStation 4 allow you to take part in this virtual world of console games and immerse yourself in a very special world of gaming with the PlayStation VR – more information is available as you progress.

PlayStation VR – important information at a glance

With the help of sophisticated technology, the images are aligned in virtually real time, giving the player the feeling of moving in this virtual world.

With PlayStation VR, you can immerse yourself in unlimited game worlds from the comfort of your living room. The PlayStation Plus headset is based on the data processing capacity of the PS4. It is a complete and integrated VR solution within the existing PS4 system.

The range of functions and features

As we have seen in the course of several PlayStation VR tests, a more than lifelike optical experience is created with a refresh rate of 120 frames per second and this refresh rate always remains constant. In practice, the technically high-quality OLED display opens up impressive and hyper-real 3D worlds before the eyes of the user and offers a more than generous viewing angle with its 5.7 inch.

Even the sound leaves nothing to be desired – with 3D sound you can really hear every sound around you more than clearly. In this way, you can even get a feeling for distances and speeds in the virtual world.

The device is equipped with a total of nine LEDs, which are tracked by the PlayStation Camera to determine the exact position of the user, as well as the current angle and direction of the head. This data processed in real time allows the PS4 console to place the user in a correct position in the middle of the virtual world, creating a truly realistic sense of presence.

Some features of the PlayStation VR

The PlayStation VR convinces in various tests on all lines. Thanks to the 360 degree immersion, you have a seamless field of vision in the virtual world. The innovative 3D audio enables a completely new dimension of sound, where you can perceive both the direction and the distance of the sounds.

With the dual lenses and powerful 3D depth sensors, the PlayStation Camera controls the position of the headset, the P Move motion controller and the DUALSHOCK 4 controller light bar. This ensures that the user is always at the centre of the VR universe. The PS VR adds a whole new dimension to the already precise control of the PS4.

Unequivocal results of different PlayStation VR tests – if you want to use VR glasses, you definitely need the PlayStation Camera. Those who don’t own them yet can buy them for an amount of about 50 Euros. Also important for some games: The Move controllers. The controllers with a glowing rubber ball at the top are experiencing a revival, so to speak. A Move controller costs about 40 Euros. So the investment costs rise quite quickly to more than 500 Euros – not a bargain, but still significantly cheaper than the competition.

The Playstation VR has left split impressions in our PlayStation VR test speaker. Technically, we had hoped for more, but the edge flickering and blurring clearly cloud the gaming impression. But if the game is well designed, it’s easier to overlook the technical shortcomings in practice. Currently, the real blockbusters like “Uncharted 4” are still missing and the technology still has to prove what it can do. But on the whole, one can already give a clear buy recommendation at this point in time.

PSVR 2 for PS5? Developer gives hope for hardware upgrade

• Virtual reality developer Immersive VR Education Ltd already wants to know that a “PSVR 2” headset will be released alongside the PlayStation 5.
• With over 5 million units sold so far, PSVR is one of the most successful Virtual Reality headsets on the market, but sooner or later Sony will probably need better hardware to remain competitive in the new console generation.
• There have been several rumors about a “PSVR 2” device in the past, now a VR developer and publisher has blabbed away in an annual report.

VR developer confirms hardware upgrade

What are they saying? According to Immersive VR Education Ltd, known among other things for the games Titanic VR and Apollo 11 VR, an improved version of the PSVR headset is definitely appearing alongside the PS5. The company recently published a report in which the device, which has not yet been officially confirmed, is mentioned in connection with the PlayStation 5.

Immersive VR Education Ltd expects the upgrade to be released in fiscal 2020. This means that it could well be launched directly to coincide with the launch of the PS5, but no later than the end of March 2021. But here is the hint again: Sony has not confirmed an improved PlayStation VR headset.

The only thing that is officially known is that the PlayStation VR headset is included in the downward compatibility of the PS5 and will also be able to connect to the PS4 successor. When asked whether there will be PSVR 2 glasses, PS5 lead architect Mark Cerny simply said that VR would continue to be an important aspect for Sony, but nothing could be said about this.

Further rumours about PSVR 2

However, this is not the first time that a studio speaks in joyful anticipation of a new PS VR glasses. In October 2019, we reported about a developer who reported via Facebook that he was already working on a “PSVR 2” game for PS5. In addition, a number of patents on a possible upgrade of the device had been buzzing around the net in the past, including one that suggested that the new version could finally do without cables.

Samsung Gear VR

Have you ever walked into a theatre and thought to yourself that this isn’t the best seat in the house? Ever wished that you could experience top visuals, have a surreal viewing experience in the comfort of your house in your pyjamas? Well, you are in for a treat my friend.

Samsung Gear VR, where VR stands for Virtual Reality, brings the future to your doorsteps. While VR has been knocking on the doorsteps of technology for quite some time now, the devices so far has been bulky, and for lack of a better word, plain ugly! Samsung Gear VR changes the game and does it spectacularly. Here is what you need to know to be convinced that yes this is a worthy gadget to lighten that wallet of yours. However, is it all good without any blemishes? Read and find out.

Play with the Display

Yes the display is that good that you will be walking on the thin line between reality and virtual reality. You can enjoy both 180 degrees views and 360 degrees, though currently there is more focus on 180 degrees content and yet some time to go before 360 degrees is cracked and its content becomes common. Using Samsung smartphones with super AMOLED display will give you an excellent visual experience. However, constantly staring into the screen from such a close range will make you feel nauseous at the beginning. The video quality matters too. The higher the resolution, the better will be your VR experience.

Some lines on the Design

Weighing in at 318 grams without any smartphone attached to it, the Samsung Gear VR takes some time to get used to wearing. This is however the lighter version with a 19% decrease in weight in comparison to the model that has been released prior to the current one. As a result, it is not such a hindrance to wear it for a long time at a stretch and you can actually get used to it after the initial awkwardness wears off.

It comes with comfortable foam cushioning to ease you into wearing it and the touchpad on the side is also larger making it more user-friendly and increasing its functionality. The volume keys also find a presence on the sides of the Samsung Gear VR and there is also a focus adjustment wheel present. A micro USB is placed for your charging requirements.

Content is King on the Gear VR

Not everyone uses Facebook to keep in touch with family and friends. Some do it to play Candy Crush. Some people use it to run an e-commerce page. And some people use it to stalk others! What I am bringing you to note is that, what matters most is what you provide with your app, software, hardware. At the end of the day, it is not only design that will matter but also the things you can do, watch, play, act and enact using a Samsung Gear VR that will keep patrons glued to the device.

In such a case, content is king. With Virtual Reality being the new awesome kid in the block, it still has to get decent amount of content to keep people fixed and glued in. The amount of things that you can do with this Gear is increasing with time, but for now it is not such an exhaustive list. That does not mean there is nothing you can do. From watching movies, to music videos and TV shows, and playing games – the list is ever so slowly increasing and becoming even more awesome by the day.

It can only get better with time. Currently, more than the content, the Gear VR seems to be about the immersive viewing experience that is banked upon. However more content and better content will come with time. You can also view photographs and just about any content that you have stored in your Samsung smartphones.

Compatibility with Smartphones

It is usually Samsung smartphones that are most compatible with the Samsung Gear VR. For best experience you need to use one among the four latest top notch Samsung smartphones. What this means, is that, if you intend to get 100 per cent your money’s worth out of the Samsung Gear VR, you better already have a Samsung S6, S6 edge, S6 edge+ or a Galaxy Note 5 at hand. Now this is not something everyone will be happy about, especially those who do not own and use a Samsung smart phone, but that is how it stands in currently. Will Samsung ensure that the Samsung Gear VR can be used along with other smartphones? Well, that is a question for the future and Samsung to answer.

Pay before you play

At $99 as starting price, this is by no means the cheapest VR set that you can get. However the cheaper options do not stand much a chance in terms of the features offered when they come face to face with Samsung. With Oculus planning to make a big launch next year in the same sector, Samsung does have decent competition coming its way. That being said, the Oculus Rift is expected to be way more costly than the $99 that Samsung is selling its Gear VR for. One huge drawback will be the phones that are compatible with it and thus people who do not own a Samsung smartphone will hardly be interested in buying it.

Final Word on the Samsung Gear VR

To buy or not to buy, that is the question. If you are dying to try it, then you should definitely buy it. One big crucial factor will be the fact that do you own a Samsung smartphone currently or not. If yes, then regardless of its flaws and shortcomings the Samsung Gear VR is actually a cool gadget that is bound to turn heads and capture attention. This is far from the worst tech gadget that you can invest your money in for a wonderful surreal experience and to convince people against VR that this indeed is the future.