Gear VR- A World Changer or a Gimmick?
Gear VR
A World Changer or A Gimmick?
With Virtual Reality becoming more than virtual, there is a
race to the finish for many developers to get their bit of kit out there to the
public and onto our faces, immersing us into a whole new experience in media
and gaming.
The Oculus Rift is one of the most well-known upcoming VR
units which had its humble beginning in a Kickstarter program. But along side
this major leap in home based technology the mobile headset, Gear VR, has also
been in the works. And for those who were fast enough to pre-order a Samsung
Edge you’ll be one of the lucky few to already have your hands on this bit of
kit.
Based on the same technology as Rift, the Gear VR headset
has been born out of a joint Samsung/Oculus development and complements the
latest releases of Samsung Galaxy phones around today, including the Note and
Edge. The headset is designed to be lightweight and even with the phone docked
into the front it will barely feel there at all. Especially once you see what
it can do from the inside.
With a twin lens design, each eye will receive a slightly
differing picture enabling a full and impressive 3D VR experience. Whilst there
is only so much clarity and resolution gained from a mobile platform, the Gear
VR is an excellent showcase of just what the possibilities of VR can be.
Built to encompass anything from games to Netflix and
Facebook the headset allows you very broad and uninterrupted access all without
removing the headset. With your phone loaded to the front port all navigation
can be achieved with a simple D pad setup on one side featuring a touch
sensitive “mouse” in the centre, and a simple move of the head. A touchpad
controller can also be purchased which enables more complex controls. And a dial on
top of the headset allows for simple and easy correction of
focus, allowing you to achieve an optimum clarity.
So what kind of experience can you expect when you first use
the Gear VR? During my test run I was able to sample several different modes
and features. As the headset sits to your face the screen illuminates slowly in
front of you showing a basic yet effective menu, much like Samsung’s main
interface screens.
Moving from there Netflix provides you with a private
theatre in which to view your movies and shows- you find yourself seated on a
rich red couch in a log cabin-esque surroundings, the mountain range visible
through the windows and the red curtains drawn in front of you. Selecting your
movie to view sees the room dim just like a live theatre and immerses you
completely into the screen.
The Gear VR exhibitions several underwater environments,
each one different and impressive in its own way. From the surface level
dolphins, swimming around you and barrel rolling playfully, to the sea snakes
sliding their way eerily through the dark depths of the water, each experience
will give you something new. The attention to detail was great with even tiny pieces of floating debris visible through the water, some I almost felt inclined to brush out of my face. The main thing to note here is just how surrounded
you can feel. Creatures will duck out of your sight, and as you turn to follow
them another will slide into view where you do not expect them to. It is this
unexpected and varied movement which truly impressed me the most.
Temple Run is one of the many games available to play on
Gear VR and is an exciting and trepidatious experience. Using the controls on
the side of the headset you grab the idol and begin running for your life. As
you weave and dodge your way along the pathway there is an ever looming beast
on your tail, its shadow on the ground before you a constant reminder of just
how close to death you might be.
There is also the ability to switch to your phone’s camera
for a live view of the world around you. Besides giving you a slightly fish
eyed perspective I saw little reason to use this feature at present. But I
would like to think development will utilise this feature for a real world
roaming gameplay experience.
Overall the graphics were not perfect but extremely good for
the platform. I noticed some graininess to the underwater seascapes, but the
colours are beautiful and bright and the blacks are most definitely black. I
found myself too involved in what it could do to worry too much about
what it couldn’t. And for something I dock my phone into, I’m certainly not
complaining here.
One of the major concerns for people wary of VR is the
motion sickness factor. As someone sensitive to this myself, I found the only
motion sickness I remotely felt was during Temple Run, if I tried to look at my
surroundings whilst the game pulled me forward. But in complete honesty, doing
this was unnecessary as all focus was demanded in front of me. I can see how
this might be of concern with future fast paced games that require more
twisting and turning but this was not my experience.
So how much will a Gear VR set you back? Currently it
retails for around $228 AUD but the biggest requirement is the need for a
Samsung phone compatible with it, and that could set you back a significant
amount if you don’t already have one.
Would I use it again? Absolutely. I would be very interested
to see just what else this piece of kit can achieve, how much the graphics can
upscale and just how diverse the gameplay will become.
Is it worth it? There’s no denying that the Gear VR is only
a baby step in the new world of VR opening up to us in the next 12 months. But
it’s an impressive baby step and one worth a try if you can get your hands on
it.
For me? I’ll be waiting until VR is more established before
I pour my dosh into it, but it’s pieces of tech like this that bring so much
promise of what is to come and of many an exciting time looking more like an
idiot playing games than I already do.
Bring it on…
(Image Source: Samsung.com)