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Ars: Samsung Gear VR Is Today's Best Virtual Reality
An anonymous reader writes: Samsung took a distinctly different tack from Oculus VR in developing virtual reality tech. Whereas Oculus has a dedicated device, Samsung simply has a high-tech piece of headgear that you strap a Galaxy Note 4 phone into. A review popped up at Ars Technica after a month using the device, and they say it works surprisingly well. Quoting: "Though the weight of the two units is comparable, the Gear VR benefits from a strap system that distributes that weight on the upper forehead and the back of the skull rather than through an elastic death grip around the eye area."
They still say a purchase is hard to justify, simply because the content selection is lacking. But as that improves, the price tag will become worth it. "Simple, minimally interactive virtual reality experiences like The Deep, BluVR, and Titans of Space have become go-to apps when passing the Gear VR around a party for friends to check out. It's incredible just sitting in place and following along with your gaze as sea life or entire planets fly by in sharp, well-rendered, 360-degree glory."
They still say a purchase is hard to justify, simply because the content selection is lacking. But as that improves, the price tag will become worth it. "Simple, minimally interactive virtual reality experiences like The Deep, BluVR, and Titans of Space have become go-to apps when passing the Gear VR around a party for friends to check out. It's incredible just sitting in place and following along with your gaze as sea life or entire planets fly by in sharp, well-rendered, 360-degree glory."
The problem I have with VR and 3D movies is that it's not immersive enough. If I do want to put myself into the game/movie then it has to be convincing. Sound has to move around too (rather than appearing to come from a fixed set of points). If I can't dip my head and have top-originating sounds come from "above" my head, it's not immersive.
This is the problem with 3D - it might be 3D from where you are, but it's not actually 3D. You can't walk around it. It's a 2D window onto a 3D world. The guy that jumps out of the screen can never be behind me, I can never be behind him, etc.
VR suffers similar problems with audio, etc.
But I believe one day we'll sort most of those things and it will be the perfect escape - come home exhausted from work and immerse yourself in games completely, forgetting the outside world and work in the process.
Unfortunately, we're decades away from that still.