If old people thought we disconnect too much already, just wait until we perfect virtual reality. We're almost there, much closer than we were with the Sega VR you'd see at Chuck E. Cheese. Our current front runner is the Oculus Rift system, and with it we have many new systems including the Samsung VR Headset. This piece of Gear works with your Note5, S6, S7 and all their "edge" counterparts. Your phone acts as the screen and hardware to power all the games and apps included. These all come together for an overall convincing experience, but it still feels like baby steps for what could eventually be a very enjoyable piece of tech.
The VR headset is mounted to your face with Velcro straps. The straps are tight and help give feedback to the surprisingly good motion detection. You can look around the room, shake your head, do a flip, all tightly strapped in. But while the strap feels comfy, there are a few issues that limited my use due to discomfort. The padded face mask is at first all right, but after a while I start getting itchy and sweaty from the felt. It seems the face part is a bit oversized in an attempt to make this a "one-size fits all," piece of equipment. This causes the mask to rest unevenly, putting most of the weight on your forehead.
The second issue is tied in with the visual aspect of the virtual reality. I can say I was impressed with how nice everything looks initially. The current home menu is pleasant to look at, and most games look good, with their limitations being screen resolution and phone hardware. Since your screen is literally your phone put right in your face, the individual pixels become much more visible. It's never really bothered me during use, it's more of a physical limitation that'll go away as screens improve. The only problem I've had is eye strain from having the phone right in my face. I turned the brightness all the way down and still end up squinting when I open a white screen. Though, my eyes probably hurt from years of staring at a light two feet in front of me.
Finally, something that would seem the most important: games. Where are the games? Samsung? Oculus? Where are all the games? After browsing the store for five minutes, I felt a creeping realization. This headset was released late last year; it's only been out a few months. It's not like there's just an empty store, but unless you like rail shooters and "Interactive Movies," there isn't much to do. I found myself using the web browser and Netflix app more than anything else.
Overall, I was pretty pleased with the Samsung VR Gear. The idea works; a light and portable VR headset that works with your phone. I feel like I want to use this on airplane flights and long car rides. It nice as a hands-free way to play games or watch movies in a private and immersive environment. If this thing sounds like something you've been waiting for, and $100 doesn't sound too pricey, I'd say check it out. If you're looking for a more fleshed out and comfortable experience, I'd say wait a bit on this. I for one am waiting until I can upload my brain to the global consciousness.
