Samsung Gear Vr

Virtual reality, often known as VR, has a long and winding history. From the distant dream of Sega's VR, unveiled back in 1993, to the modern day it's-almost-here reality of Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and PlayStation VR, it's South Korean giant Samsung that's here to take on the more entry-level market with its Gear VR.

Virtual reality is still something of a dreamers' concept; the idea of being transported from this world into a virtual other has been topic of sci-fi and social science for many years. But unlike the Holodeck in Star Trek, the only way to attempt that in the here and now is to strap a helmet to your face. Or, in the case of the latest Gear VR Consumer Edition, effectively strap a Samsung Galaxy S6/S7 (or edge/edge+ variant) smartphone to your face, via a helmet accessory (the previous Innovator model was designed for the Note 4only).

Which sees us arrive from our excitable childhood dreams of actually being Sonic The Hedgehog, to a somewhat more realistic standpoint of where VR is at. It's brilliant yet botched all in the same breath; expectations of being transported from one world to another will be met by delight by some, but nausea and discontent by others. Make no mistake, VR is going to split the crowd - even in the Oculus-powered setup that the Gear VR embraces.

But VR is also a whole lot of fun when the content is right. When we first saw the Gear VR in 2014 it lacked the necessary titles to drive it forward. And while the Gear VR Consumer Edition is still limited in its breadth of titles, it's a vast improvement thanks to the likes of Land's End and others. It's also cheaper at £80 and, therefore, the more accessible stepping-stone on the path to Oculus proper.

Samsung Gear VR review: Phone hardware

First thing's first: to use the Gear VR you'll need to have a Galaxy S7, S7 edge, S6, S6 edge or edge+ to hand (or a Note 5, which isn't available in the UK). Which, at around £600 and up, isn't a budget entry point. If you're already using such a device then of course the Consumer Edition's £80 price point makes it a bit of a bargain. And it's definitely better looking and more fully-featured than something like Google Cardboard (the literally cardboard viewer designed for a variety of phones).

Samsung Gear VR review: Games & content

A key driver for any virtual reality setup is what's available to play, see and do. As the Samsung system utilises adapted Oculus VR on an Android operating system, that paints a potentially strong picture for the future, as lots of people have access to Android devices.

The first time you fire-up the system there's a walkthrough, which serves well to educate. Upon each load - and a proximity sensor knows when the Gear VR is positioned to the face - you'll be presented with a home screen, comprising Store (Oculus and Samsung) and Library options. Amid the latest downloads, there are also shortcuts to Oculus Cinema and Oculus 360 Videos/Photos. It's easy to grasp what's what, and it's not all just gaming.