Samsung Gear VR is now so much easier to use
Sometimes the smallest change can make a world of difference.
Samsung didn’t make any significant changes to its popular Samsung Gear VR virtual reality headset, but the update it announced Wednesday promises to make it considerably easier to use for one simple reason. It now ships with a controller.
SEE ALSO:Samsung's new tablets are out to destroy the iPad Pro and Surface Pro 4In every edition of the headset, which delivers immersive VR by combining the power of Samsung Galaxy smartphones and a headset co-developed by Oculus, the external controls included a touch-sensitive pad and a pair of physical buttons on the right side of the headset. This led to a lot of reaching up to your temple to back out of games and access some other VR controls. It was annoying and fatiguing.
The new Samsung Gear VR controller works with all Samsung Gear VR headsets.Credit: lili sams/mashableNow, every Gear VR headset will ship with a small, black Bluetooth controller. It replicates the touchpad, home and back buttons. There’s a volume rocker on the face and a trigger on the front, which means that in addition to the controls that are carried over from the side of the Gear VR headset, there are now new, interactive VR possibilities.
We got a little hands-on time with the new controller and the latest Gear VR headset, which can now accommodate the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ smartphones.
Powered by two AA batteries, the Gear VR controller is backward compatible and will work with all 5 million Gear VR headsets already in consumer hands. It fits comfortably in your hand and the touchpad, which is, essentially, a giant button, is responsive. The trigger can be used in VR games to target things and pick up and release virtual objects.
Trigger happy.Credit: lili sams/mashableHaving a controller does mean you’ll have to be a little more careful when using Samsung Gear VR. There is a little strap on the controller to keep it from flying out of your hand. However, as I was trying to grab and throw a virtual object, I accidentally swung my hand into a real person standing nearby. No one was injured.
There are only three degrees of freedom as opposed to the six degrees you’ll find in Oculus Touch controllers (Google Daydream View's controller has 3-degrees). As a result, losing orientation with the controller can happen pretty easily. To reset the view, you just need to hold down the main button for a few seconds.
Overall, though, not having to blindly feel my way around the head-gear-based controller is a significant improvement. I wonder if future VR headsets will ship without that pad and those buttons.
Featured Video For You
This spinach leaf is actually a tiny, beating human heart
下一篇:Flying spaghetti monster and unworldly life filmed in deep sea footage
- ·Cyrix: Gone But Not Forgotten
- ·清远市市长温文星:力争2024年清远鸡、麻竹笋产业综合产值突破百亿
- ·“给力”才是王道——雅安人话说央视春晚
- ·云浮:2023年农林牧渔业总产值增长5.8%,中草药产量增长10.4%
- ·Alcaraz vs. Van de Zandschulp 2024 livestream: Watch US Open for free
- ·解放思想 为全年各项工作顺利开展奠定基础
- ·环境治理偷懒耍滑 直接启动相关程序
- ·存款储备金率今起飚至20%
- ·This shark lives for centuries. Scientists discover how it resists aging.
- ·我市群众欢欢喜喜过大年
- ·挂羊头卖狗肉是出国旅游还是出国务工?
- ·雨城区公安分局交警特勤大队召开“大走访”开门评警活动恳谈会
- ·Aricell CEO arrested in first case under industrial accidents law
- ·雨城区公安分局交警特勤大队召开“大走访”开门评警活动恳谈会
- ·市区至成都乐山班线票价涨1元
- ·“给力”才是王道——雅安人话说央视春晚