I’ve been waiting for this package for a long time. This is the Samsung Galaxy Gear VR Innovator Edition for the Samsung Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 edge. It’s a Virtual Reality headset powered by Oculus and it’s very, very similar to the Gear VR for the Galaxy Note 4, which we had last year but this one fits the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 edge.
So Virtual Reality is becoming the norm, whether you like it or not. And personally, I really welcome it with open arms. And I appreciate Samsung and Oculus for delivering an Innovator Edition version of their VR headsets so that tech enthusiasts and developers can start working on VR content while also providing feedback on the headset itself to further create a better experience. And I plan to do just that with this headset, which you can see right here, this is the Samsung Gear VR headset.
First out of the box, we have the main strap that sits on the back of your head and it will be attached to the front portion of the headset. It has the text Gear VR embedded onto the plastic back. And then we have the Samsung-labeled top portion of the headset, which will sit on the top of your head and provides some extra cushion and stability when you wear the headset.
Last but not least is the main Gear VR itself, which once again, is very similar to the Gear VR headset for the Galaxy Note 4 but with a few minor tweaks and changes. I’ll show you more of that in a moment.
We do have some accessories bundled with this headset. There’s a white box that holds several different items. And actually, this little white cleaning cloth was the first thing to fall out of the box. And it’ll be used to wipe down the lens after each use and just get all those gross finger smudges off of the headset.
We also have a Gear VR Getting Started Guide, which as the name implies, helps you set this device up and get it running properly so you don’t have any headaches later with your Galaxy S6 or your Galaxy S6 edge. We do also have a Health & Safety Warranty packet as well. So if you’re all curious about what this headset does to your health, this is the packet you want to read.
Besides that stuff is the carrying case. Unlike the Gear VR for the Note 4, this is just a cloth bag, which I kind of have mixed feelings about. It feels good, it feels pretty high quality but I think I would still prefer the hard shell case with the previous Gear VR headset since it’ll just be able to protect the headset more when stored in my backpack for example. But this is what we have instead so I guess I’ll just have to deal with it. Samsung also did include an extra phone cushion here so if something goes wrong into the pre-installed cushion, you have a backup, which is pretty nice.
So with all of that behind us, this is the headset that will transport you into a virtual world and you will need to set it up first, which is what I’m going to do right now. The top strap fastens on to the middle portion of the headset with the rear strap fastening on to the side. The end result should look something like this, where the headset can be supported by the straps on the top and back of your head.
If we take a look around the device, we do have a touch pad and a back button on the right hand side inside as well as a black volume up and down buttons. In the middle, we have a focus ring and then on the right hand side, we have some Gear VR branding and Powered by Oculus branding.
There’s not a lot going on in the bottom of the headset except for the little micro USB port, which is actually a new addition and I’m so happy Samsung added this little guy because it allows you to power your Galaxy S6 or Galaxy S6 edge while you’re using it as a VR headset. It doesn’t sound like much but previously, you had to rely on battery power; which was just a terrible idea. Now you can actually just plug this headset directly into a wall and never have to worry about running out of battery. Taking a look at the front of the headset, we do have two lenses up front and center, which you’ll be looking through to the display of your smartphone.
To get started, all you need to do is pop in your Galaxy S6 or in my case, the Galaxy S6 edge into the headset and pop it right back out so that it will bring you to the Oculus software needed for the Gear VR, which I already installed and have set up. But basically, you just download and install the software. And once it’s complete, you just pop your phone right back into the headset and you’ll just run through some various tests to test the touchpad and the controls.
I might actually pick up a gamepad which Samsung is also selling so that I can actually game in Virtual Reality since I’ve never done that before. And I think it would be even more impressive and immersive.
But in terms of how it looks (because I know you guys want to know), I didn’t find it as mind-blowing as I did when I first tried this device with the Galaxy Note 4. I think if this is your first VR experience, you’ll really be blown away like I was when I first tried on the VR for the Note 4.
The display on this headset looks a little bit pixelated but it still is going to offer one of the best VR experiences since this is one of the best and most pixel-packed displays on any smartphone in the market. I unfortunately don’t have the Gear VR for the Note 4 anymore so I can’t really compare these two headsets but I feel like the bigger display on the Note 4 is just a little bit more immersive than the 5.1-inch display on the S6 and the S6 edge. It just seems kind of small—it doesn’t quite engulf my vision entirely. That’s really my main complaint because the panning is pretty smooth and there are a lot of immersive demos on here. I think the best experience will be through stuff I download online and personally install onto my smartphone to then run on the Gear VR.
If you guys want to see more coverage of this device, let me know down below in a comment. I know VR headsets are new but they are going to be the norm within the next couple of years. So if you guys want to pick up this headset for yourself, it’s priced at $200 and you will need a Galaxy S6 or Galaxy S6 edge so it is kind of pricey.