Impressions of Virtual Reality

Imagine the reaction of someone transported from 1975 to the future now. They would be amazed by all of the advanced technology that we take for granted in 2016. That’s how I felt when I tried the Samsung Gear VR.

Although I consider myself to be a technologist, I rarely invest in bleeding-edge technologies. I am more of an early-adopter. I want the technology that I purchase to work and to be useful. IMHO, virtual reality has just entered the early-adopter phase.

When considering VR, options are still rather limited to expensive sets like Oculus Rift, which are tethered to expensive PCs or consoles, or Google Cardboard. The Samsung Gear VR, is between the two, but more like Google Cardboard.

Before purchasing a Gear VR, I decided to dip my toes in VR. So I purchased a VR Box headset and gave Google Cardboard a try. You slide your phone into the VR Box and use the Google Cardboard platform to watch VR videos and play games. The games and videos seemed to be of moderate quality and the selection is rather limited. Google Cardboard could also be easier to use. However, the VR Box was intriguing enough to prompt me to purchase the Gear VR.

What I did not know when I made my purchase, is the Gear VR hardware integrates with Samsung phones. I assumed the main advantage of using the Gear VR would be access to the Samsung VR platform. When I snapped my Samsung S7 Edge into the headset, it also connected to the power/data port! This allows the phone to utilize the sensors included in the Gear VR, including the touch controls. My first impression was Wow! I opened one of the included games and lost myself for an hour or so in another reality.

The Gear VR works well, is powered by Oculus technology, has an easy-to-use interface, and has many good, easy-to-use apps and games. I was even able to watch Netflix! My phone did tend to overheat after a while, but my son tried it with his S7 Edge and did not have a problem. After using the headset for some time, my eyes became fatigued and my face damp, where the goggles touched my face.

The Gear VR is a good example of virtual reality that is accessible with current technologies. I suspect that the Oculus Rift works better and has a higher resolution, but it is a little too expensive and is required to be tethered to an expensive computer.

I really like the Gear VR, and I intend to spend more time using it. It is truly an amazing product. Using the Gear VR makes me excited about the future of virtual and augmented reality. It makes sense that the technology will shrink and eventually become available as an option on regular glasses and even contacts. When a cumbersome headset is no longer required, I believe that virtual reality will explode in popularity. I’m looking forward to the day when that happens.

http://www.samsung.com/us/explore/gear-vr/?cid=van-mb-cph-0716-10000089