Gear VR: It..Just..Works..

[pixel67]

So after seeing all of the negative drivel recently and the resurgence of Oculus/Facebook haters, i thought i would start a new thread that shines a more positive light on what Oculus has enabled for the community. I received my Gear VR yesterday and fired it up last night for a little over an hour and was blown away. Not by the visuals even though they were very nice on the Note 4 screen, and not by the content since we definitely need more, but just by the overall experience of using it.

This is my 5th HMD (POS i bought at sharper image, Z800, DK1, DK2, and now Gear VR) and I can easily state that the Gear VR represents a HUGE leap forward in usability. HUGE! Insert Phone, put it on, adjust optics and fit, and navigate in VR from that point forward. Simple. Navigating through Oculus Home, Launching Apps/Games/Experiences, and just having a great time without having to pull it off is so very welcome after fiddling with the previous generations of products. Samsung and Oculus... Great Job! In that hours time, I let several of my family members try it out and all came away impressed with the ease of use.

As with all development kits there are definitely things that could be better but its the overall experience that has really inspired me and gives me hope that really great VR is just around the corner. And Oculus has enabled that whether you choose to see that fact or not. Very, Very exciting times and its just the beginning!

[Anonymous]

This is what I expected from DK2, or at least somewhat. My DK1 was up and running with zero problems within 10 minutes of unboxing. The DK2 was and is a nightmare to keep running properly, not to mention the performance issues seemingly introduced by nothing. None the less, I concur on the Gear VR usability. It is a very smooth and perfected experience that just works.

[PyroSteel]

Hopefully Gear VR gives us a small insight on how CV1 will perform. I mean, the DK1 to Dk2 was a huge step up. DK2 to GearVR sounds to be a huge step up. Maybe im just letting my hopes soar, but i hope GearVR to CV1 will be an equal if not greater step up too.

[Gateshot]

Did you find yourself missing the positional tracking at all? I'm hesitant to get one for that reason... well that and the cost.

[RedRizla]

I don't know how the can justify the price of the Gear VR. I looked at getting one, but the price and so little content put me right off. Even at £99 I would have to think about it, but I would probably pay that for it.

[pixel67]

I already had a Note 4 so buying the Gear VR Headset was very affordable, but I can definitely see where having to buy both would be an investment especially if you had to buy the Note 4 at list. Its good to see the S6 has been added to the list, though. I do miss positional tracking though and that is one area they can definitely improve upon.

I haven't exhausted all of the apps yet but just the process of using the unit is so much better than DK1/2. Its a trade off as DK2 is definitely more immersive for me, but such a hassle to get going and even worse to switch from app to app...

[Sharpfish]

call it 'negative drivel' if you wish but two things:

1. NO positional tracking = NOT VR. Not even close. I've occasionally lost positional tracking on my DK2 and it sucks, it makes me wanna hurl and is a massive step backwards (immersion basically nullifies at this point UNLESS you only use mainly static apps like cinema etc)

2. I and many other people who already own OTHER mobile/cell phones (decent ones at that) don't wish to drop £500-£700 on a stupid phone (I was never the biggest fan of keeping up with the latest phones personally) PLUS the £200 or whatever it is for the gearVR just to get some nerfed (but tether free) VR with sub-standard experiences.

Yes it works, but then so does the crusty old gameboy "just work". When you are aiming so low it's easy to 'just work' (ask apple)

What we want to just work is the proper VR Palmer/Oculus had set out to deliver. Hopefully before the end of this year if they can take even 5 minutes away from pushing nerfed Mobile VR for the casuals/smart phone sheep/People who weren't even interested in VR for the past 2 months let alone the past 20 years like I and many of us were.

Great - GearVR just works... whoop de doo.. now, about that Oculus Rift?? I have a lot of patience (and faith) in oculus for the rift, and don't mind delays and taking their time but this almost 100% emphasis publically on MOBILE/ GearVR leaves a bad taste in my mouth and is extremely off-putting (and missing the point of why MOST of us were here to start with - inc Palmer himself). I'm thankful for Valve at least offering us what seems to be a get out/back up plan IF oculus continue to prioritise nerfed mobile 'VR'.

If all this hoo-ha was to secure a great custom screen for the rift from Samsung then, OK, it would be bearable but we're hearing that the Rift has had it's future spec projections (namely res and FOV) cut not improved so I just see it as mostly a lot of wasted time spent pushing GVR to people who ultimately will get bored of THAT kind of VR and not turn into VR mentalists like us hardcore lot.

[pixel67]

"Sharpfish" wrote:
call it 'negative drivel' if you wish

I wish...

"Sharpfish" wrote:


1. NO positional tracking = NOT VR. Not even close.

I already stated this was a shortcoming of the current implementation.

"Sharpfish" wrote:


2. I and many other people who already own OTHER mobile/cell phones (decent ones at that) don't wish to drop £500-£700 on a stupid phone (I was never the biggest fan of keeping up with the latest phones personally) PLUS the £200 or whatever it is for the gearVR just to get some nerfed (but tether free) VR with sub-standard experiences.

And if it were compatible with the phone you have in your pocket, would that make the "sub-standard" experience more interesting and obtainable?

I get the gist of what you are trying to say... And its the same message pasted all over these forums. Give us CV1, make it available yesterday, etc... And don't stray too far from the original Oculus roadmap.

The primary point of my initial post was more around the ergonomics of using Gear VR are head and shoulders above DK1/DK2, and it is. Is it the premier VR "Gold Standard", of course not. It doesn't need to be to break new ground, provide key learning points for the development community, and expose people to a VR experience that otherwise wouldn't be accessible. I'll be right there with the rest of the crowd when CV1/Vive are launched as it in all likelihood will represent the best experience, but I also believe that Mobile VR has its place just like mobile gaming has its place. By offering multiple paths, they are effectively opening up the audience that will buy the products that developers make. I am still assuming that making more money as a developer is attractive to most... :mrgreen: