Samsung gets a virtual reality check

  

VR hasn't quite hit the mainstream but with Facebook now owning the Oculus Rift and Sony busy refining Project Morpheus, the foundations are being set to make virtual reality a reality for all.

There were rumours that Samsung wanted to create its own headset and I must admit I was skeptical. With no real history in this area, creating something from scratch would bound to have caused problems.
Thankfully Samsung hasn't gone down this route.

Instead it has enlisted the help of Oculus (now part of the Facebook family) to create the Samsung GearVR.

The Samsung GearVR is not a standalone device. It does not come with its own screen, but is a headset shell that is packed with the stereoscopic lens goodness needed to make the VR work.

The key ingredient in unleashing the VR is the Samsung Galaxy Note 4. There is a compartment at the front of the device that the handset slips into.

Design

It was pretty simple to connect the Note 4. I had to unclip the clear plastic 'goggle' on the front, then clip the Note 4 into place. In all it took around 30 seconds and was sturdy too. I didn't feel like the Note 4 would fall out of its little compartment, even with a little shake to make sure.

Once in, I clipped the clear screen over the Galaxy Note 4 and the device was ready for action.
There is a stretch clasp over the top of the device to hold the Gear VR into place and the whole thing is cushioned for comfort.

I did find it a little tight but you can slacken it slightly if you need to. You do want it to be strapped firmly to your head though. The joy of VR means you can look completely around yourself so it needs to take that sort of face movement.

Once on, it was very simple to use. The right hand side of GearVR is where the magic happens. There is a touch-sensitive panel that you use to control the VR. If you want to control volume, then that is on the left-hand side. The only other control was on the top.

There is a rocker that will increase or decrease the focus of the lenses. This is for people who wear glasses. Take the glasses off, fiddle with the rocker and you should get the right 'look'.

Movies and games

I was take through two demos with the GearVR and was on the whole impressed with what I saw. The first was a clip from Cirque De Soleil. Here I watched a scene packed with acrobats come to life.

I looked to my left and some of the cast were sitting watching the scene with me. It was filmed as if being on stage and you could really immerse yourself in the action.

A quick look behind and I saw an empty auditorium, a look back in front and acrobats were doing their thing. The action was clear, thanks to the clarity of the Note 4's QuadHD screen.

Next up things got a little more muddled. I played a game where I was in space and had to shoot a bunch of spaceships. To shoot you tapped the touch panel on the right-hand side of the screen. It was fun but forgettable. The game had a "built for mobile" feel, so don't expect this powered by Oculus device to match Morpheus in terms of processing grunt.

But that's also a plus point for the GearVR. It is a VR device that is only tethered to a phone and not a console or PC. While this will inevitably mean the games won't be the greatest out there, it does have portability potential to its advantage.

Early verdict

The Samsung GearVR is better than I had expected it to be. We have used phone-based VR in the past but this feels superior and built better. This isn't a gimmick like Google Cardboard, it's a fun add on for the Note 4.

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