Samsung Gear VR With Oculus Controller Review

XR Today puts the Samsung Gear VR headset to the test in 2021

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Published: January 18, 2021

Rebekah Carter

Rebekah Carter

Since the Samsung Gear arrived on the market we’ve seen a massive increase in the amount of competition across the VR space, with massive innovation happening in the areas of untethered VR, and immersive viewing. In comparison, the Gear VR can seem quite simple, but it does offer a unique entry point into the world of virtual reality for those with a limited budget.

The Gear has had a few updates over the years to align with the latest Galaxy smartphones. In this review, we’ll be looking at the latest iteration of the Gear VR headset for January 2021.

Samsung Gear VR review: Design and build

Despite a few updates over the years, the Gear VR hasn’t changed much by way of design. The foam-padded headset comes with a set of Velcro straps to help fit it perfectly to your head. There’s also the option to remove the foam padding and replace it if you find it gets too dirty or worn.

Unlike other devices that have their own built-in display to offer, the Gear VR works with a Galaxy or Note phone from Samsung, which snaps into the front and connects to the headset. There’s a touchpad on the side, as well as home and back buttons for navigating through your phone system. You can also use a focus wheel on the front of the headset to match the demands of your eyesight.

The Samsung Gear VR is spacious and reasonably comfortable, fitting well over glasses and reducing some of the heat associated with similar headset.

Top view of the Gear VR

Samsung Gear VR review: Ease of Use

Among other more complicated VR headsets, the Samsung Gear is likely to stand out as one of the most accessible for beginners. Although it feels a little odd to strap a smartphone in front of your eyes at first, the Gear quickly delivers an immersive experience that helps you to forget all about that. When you first connect your device to the Gear VR, you’ll be prompted to install an Oculus app to use it, which will sync with any accounts you have on your PC.

There’s an Oculus controller included to transform the Gear VR experience lately, which is a nice alternative to controlling everything with the headset itself. The handheld controller is available as a standalone product if you already have a Gear headset.

Getting your VR system set up and ready to go is a relatively simple experience with the Samsung Gear VR. There’s plenty of information to walk you through the installation process and make sure that everything fits as it should. However, the process of getting everything calibrated does take a little while. On the plus side, you’ll be able to charge your phone while you’re using it.

Samsung Gear VR review: Visuals and Performance

Since the Samsung Gear VR uses your phone as its display, the display’s visuals and quality all depend on which phone you have. If you’re using the S9 from Samsung, for instance, you’ll enjoy Quad HD technology and exceptional resolution, as well as an AMOLED display. There’s very little worry about ghosting or blurring with this device, but as mentioned, the visual performance varies depending on the device you have.

The 101 degree field of view follows your head as you move, and there are some grainy pixels that show through from time to time. Another point to note is that although the visuals can be pretty good depending on the phone you choose, the performance of the phone can struggle at times. Remember

that your smartphone doesn’t always have the same processing power as a full computer. The device will often get pretty hot after just a little bit of use, so be careful.

The controller adds to the experience with a small remote-like experience with a trigger button and touchpad. It’s not the most original controller on the market, but it works well regardless of whether you’re left or right-handed, which is a nice bonus.

Samsung Gear VR review: Verdict

Compared to some of the other market-leading VR headsets on the market today, the Samsung Gear VR is a little limited. There’s only so much you can accomplish with a smartphone strapped into a VR headset. However, this product does offer a good entry point to the world of VR for companies that don’t have a lot of cash to splash on extra technology.

If you’re a true beginner to the world of VR, or you already have a Samsung device and want to explore new features, give the Gear a go.

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