PLUGGED IN Samsung Gear VR4
The promise of virtual reality, or VR has been with us for 50 years. It was only in 2012 though, with the launch of the Oculus Rift, that the idea and experience seemed to be getting closer for all of us. Facebook bought Oculus and, since then, HTC and Sony have also launched dedicated VR headsets.
The problem with most dedicated VR headsets is they have a trail of wires leading to what is, generally, a pretty high specification – and therefore expensive – computer. These days though, many of us have a powerful computer in our pockets in the form of a smartphone. Samsung saw the chance to bring VR easily and affordably to a wider audience by launching a wire-free headset that you insert your Samsung phone into.
Unpacking the Samsung Gear VR4 with controller reveals a neat, lightweight stylishly made headset. It measures about eight inches across and less than four inches high. It weighs in at just over 12 ounces, light enough to make it easy to wear. Also in the box is the new battery-powered controller, a small key-fob-shaped device to help you navigate through the VR apps.
The Gear VR will fit the new Samsung phones and is compatible with older Samsungs, up to a couple of years, right back to the S6. Depending on which phone you have, there is an interchangeable plug on the headset that’s easily switched.
There’s a dedicated Samsung VR app that needs to be installed, and while the installation process requires a few steps, your Samsung phone will guide you through the account set-up and the installation and updates required to run the VR software. Thankfully, this is a one-off process. With the app installed and the phone inserted, once you put the headset on you are instantly transported to a three-dimensional world.
Even the starting point of this experience, a sort of 3D lobby area is breathtaking. You move your head left and right to look around and there are what appear to be large video screens in front of you showing the games and movie experiences you can try.
VR lends itself to scaring yourself silly, and the first game I tried was Dreadhalls. You wake up in a dungeon with only a lantern to guide your escape and I can say I have seldom been more terrified as I outran the monsters in the halls.
Minecraft VR is also worth a try and with games like this you feel that instead of watching the game, you are actually in it. There are hundreds of games from the terrifying to the adventurous as well as other content. There’s plenty of 360’ movies available on YouTube that you can view, and whether it’s surfing or riding on the back of a classic motorbike, the Gear VR does a wonderful job of immersing you.
The new controller gadget is useful for navigating within games and there’s also a button on the headset that adjusts the lenses meaning that I, as a spectacle wearer, saw everything crisp and in focus.
This new version isn’t a huge upgrade from the last Gear VR model, so if you have the older unit you could just buy the new controller. If you are new to VR though, this is unquestionably the best value introduction to the technology available. Buy one, and buckle up, this really is the start, of the next frontier.