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New user evaluation of Samsung's Gear VR - 6 out of 10

LargoSteve
Honored Guest
This is my first experience with VR technology and I find it fascinating.  The potential seems unlimited.  Here are some general observations:
1. My biggest disappointment is probably the overall graphic clarity of this unit.  Where's my HD?  When you consider the quality display available using the Samsung model 8 device (approaching 4K resolution), so many of the VR presentations available are, frankly, less than someone might experience watching a standard definition television. Donkey Kong lives on!
2.  As with so many things in life, you get what you pay for, really applies to VR headsets that are marketed in that $150 dollar price point area. Optics are so important and I suspect the lack of optical quality seen in the Gear VR unit is a large reason resolution suffers.  I would have gladly paid another $100 bucks to get an upgraded glass on these headsets.
3.  I do not like the presented menu designs when using the set.  Don't get me wrong, the background graphic and the 3D menu suspension is awesome.  It's the overall organization of the menu content that needs redesign.
4.  The controller has problems.  Sometimes you can't even get it to appear on the screen without having to place your arm is some awkward position. 

Well that's my two cents, for what its worth!
  
3 REPLIES 3

Jobhater
Explorer
I'm a new, as well. Have played with my GearVR for a little while. I'll address a couple of your items. 

#1&2, I believe the resolution comes from your phone. I believe that your screen has to give the full 360 turn, so that may be why the resolution is so poor. I wish it was better, as well. 
#3, I agree with you.  It needs help, especially viewing your library. I really want to see more than 9 apps at a time.  I currently have 12 pages of apps that could be reduced if they just utilized the available real estate (360 degrees). Also, if I could organize the apps into my own customizable folders, WIN! 
#4, press the home button (right small button) on the controller for a few seconds to reset it in front of you. You may need to do this a couple times to get it perfect. 

Articskoll
Honored Guest
joining the newbie wagon, my first day with it and it seems like the quality too is terrible. dunno if its because of the screen cover i have on my s8+ or not but for me on mine regardless of what i set the focus wheel at the edges of fonts seem to have a minecraft appearance with some red/blue chromatic abberation.

im not a user of glasses or contacts but this headset seems to make it impossible to see anything off of and the controller thing that it comes with is way too sensitive, its like you make a normal movement and it skips from one side to the other instead of smoothly gliding, or it clicks erratically on items. almost downloaded an app i didnt even want cause of the hyper touchy sensor on the wheelpad

JMDaemon
Expert Protege
I've played with card board for a while on my G4 but the gear vr experience on my G8 blows it out of the water, and I am really liking it. The games are fun, getting around and about in the VR garden is smooth. I really can't wait to see more. My only problem is new content is slow going. 

Largo, if you are referring to things like 360 videos, there is a slight flaw in the design of those videos in that the entire 360 video sphere is sent to you and then you zoom into a portion of it depending on what direction you are looking in. So even though the video is 4k (complete with freezes and buffering as your phone is trying to stream a huge 4k stream from such reliable providers like youtube) you are zoomed into a viewing space that is much much less, and subjected to youtubes wonderful looking compression. 

I tend to avoid 360 videos completely. As for realtime rendered games, if you are hoping for higher resolutions then I hate to tell you but, it is about the best your going to get. Even Vive and Rift are using the same resolutions effectively. I am not sure when we are going to see the next generations in 5 inch screens but we are kind of at the sweet spot for phones, so if anyone was to make higher resolutions screens its main profit would be vr, and vr isnt turning much profit yet. 

Gear VR is a budget friendly way of experiencing vr games and environments at an enjoyable level and for that I give it an 8 at this point in time. The only issue now is if and when we will see new games and apps released. I am not entirely blind to the fact that I look and see a good library NOW, but said library is 2 years in the making.