Virtual reality is something that people have been delving in, trying to make it a thing of the day, for a very long time now.

While the theory of it has been out for entire decades, actual devices that allow virtual reality have only existed and were utilized for scientific or developer purposes only. Until now.

Virtual reality in a nutshell

Samsung, alongside Facebook-owned Oculus VR team, has officially released the first virtual reality headset designated for public, consumer use that is easily accessible to any tech lover out there without costing a ridiculous fortune that would normally mean only a tiny niche of the market would be empowered to purchase.

But while the dream appears to have been achieved and all of the above stand true as a fact, the niche issue is not completely shaken off. Do keep in mind that this is only the first time ever, in human history, that such form of technology makes it out in the daylight and available to anyone willing to acquire it.

However, considering it is the first of real experiments in this direction, it is only currently functional through the use of the recently released Samsung Galaxy Note 4.

While the launch of Samsung Gear VR has been a complete and definite success for anyone who has tried it – regardless of age, education, preference of even affinity for the technology – we cannot yet acclaim that the fabled world in which virtual reality is the most usual and casual of things is here, real and happening. It’s a wonderful step forwards for humanity and surely sets us on the right track, yes, but we still have a long way to go.

Samsung Takes on VR Like no Other

So far, the experience provided by the Samsung Gear VR is still quite limited, only possessing a few more demonstrative applications rather than full-on gigantic virtual worlds to be immersed in, but it will still provide you with several dozen of hours of awe and delight even now, in its very incipient state.

If you already own a Samsung Galaxy Note 4, you can grab yourself one of Samsung’s Gear VR sets for a surprising price of $200. Surely, this is no longer such a great deal if you are put in the situation where you also have to purchase the phone as well – which, outside of a contract renewal or starting off with a new carrier that could get you even up to $500 off for the phablet – will take you up to a hefty $700 acquisition.

Samsung’s launch plan was relatively well thought out. Instead of building hype and unfeasible amounts of enthusiasm around it, sending units to press and reviewers to give way to publicity and generally making it available to public before its official release, the company held back and made it so people get a surprising first-time, hands-on, eyes-on experience.

The first model to be released is named “Innovator Edition” and truthfully, cannot be picked up off a shelf at your local Best Buy or Walmart store. The reason behind this is really what I mentioned earlier – while it is finally available for the general public, it is still a far way off from becoming a full-fledged consumer product. But for the precocious tech lovers out there, even the current demo version will turn out to be a great relish.

So instead of sending it out to everyone, Samsung preferred to have it evolve by natural means. Curious people can pick it up, find that they enjoy it, let their friends and family try it and so the word would spread and suddenly, you have a very happy group of people enjoying it to the fullest and the trend of virtual reality spreading everywhere and becoming more and more widely known.

Negative feedback would only mean that Samsung just has more room to improve that it was originally thought – and that’s saying a great deal since the company is aware of the current state of things.

Virtual reality applications destined for the general public right now have little to no utility other than what you would normally get and expect in video games and 3D movies – complete multimedia immersion into an alternate world as means of relaxation and proof that it is there, it is possible and really finally does exist. Its uses in science and development could prove enlightening as it can serve as an accurate support tool for various simulations, design, manufacturing and medical practices.

Do you Own a Samsung Gear VR?

Thus all stars aligned – or rather, you made them align – and you find yourself in the possession of both a Samsung Gear VR and the Samsung Galaxy Note 4. Virtual reality has never been closer in the comfort of your own home. But there are still a few steps you need to take before you can dive right into the worlds the device is ready to depict for you.

The setup itself is not particularly time consuming but will still have you go through a series of enthusiastic build ups until you get to the culmination of your first virtual reality experience under the roof of your own home.

Unlike the Oculus and Morpheus headsets that you might have tried out in your local mall or tech exhibition, this one won’t be connecting to any computer or any other cabled external device. After you have taken the headset out of all the protective wrapping and updated your Samsung Galaxy Note 4 to the latest version you are nearly ready for launch off.

By removing the front plastic casing, you will be able to notice a micro-USB plug that is meant for your phone to dock in, secured in place on the opposite side by a latch. Before you go ahead and set it up for the first time however, it is necessary for you to firstly attach the phone to the device to confirm the successful connection and later be notified of further actions required.

Afterwards, you just need to take one last step of downloading the necessary software for it to function: Oculus Home and Gear VR Video. Once that is done, you are looking at just placing the headset on, the sensor built into the Samsung Gear VR detecting proximity and launching the main menu automatically.

Samsung Gear VR Design

The construction of the Gear VR is made to be comfortable and intuitive. Built mostly from plastic in order to maintain the gear light and not neck wreaking, it features several elastic Velcro straps on the sides and top of the device to keep the Samsung Gear VR securely on your head.

The two curved lens inside have the ability of melding the image displayed on your Galaxy Note 4 screen into panoramic views.

Considering you cannot wear glasses with the Gear VR taking most of the space on the top half of your face, and securely holding up against it via comfortable cushion-like portions on the bridge of your nose and around the eyes, Samsung has installed a dial on the headset to allow you to focus the image to match your regular prescription.

Having different prescriptions for your left and right eye respectively might prove to be a bit of a bummer as there’s no option to adjust each side differently yet, resulting in a bit of a blurry image for you if you find yourself in that situation.

The headset also features a touchpad located on the right side of the headset that allows you to navigate through the menu through swiping while tapping serves as a select function. The only other elements featured by the headset are a back and a volume button to allow you faster operating of the device.

While the general way you use your Gear VR is through head motions picked up on by internal gyroscopes meant to replicate the movement inside the virtual reality, while allowing you to access certain aspects of the application through tapping the touchpad on the headset, it is not the only way to go.

An alternative is connecting a Bluetooth controller to your Samsung Gear VR to imitate videogame-like controls, but that tends to partially discard part of the immersive experience through motion control, depending on application. Optional, yet recommended by individuals who have already gone through the Samsung Gear VR experience, is the addition of headphones into the mix to replace having your phone’s speakers as the source of the sound.

The only downside would be the limited types of headphones you can link to your headset, wireless being a necessary factor, the strongest candidate being Gear Circle to assure the full immersive experience.

What you can do on the Samsung Gear VR

While it is still in demo version, it would be a lie to say that there’s very little you can do with the Gear VR.

Starting with simply being immersed into a virtual cinema theatre to watch a movie, or a homemade film or even go through the photos that you have stored on your Galaxy Note 4, this is an experience that was acclaimed for the realistic impression that it left on users, starting with the 360 degree image that you can gaze around at and ending with the way the empty cinema seats are lit up by the cinema screen.

There is a completely new take on tourism possible with the applications of the Gear VR – when using a 360 video player you can take actual tours of different places, be it a country, a city viewed from a helicopter or even outer space.

The application allows you to look in any direction like you would normally, so it becomes even more than panorama has had to offer so far. Given the freedom that underlines the virtual reality tourism, the level of immersion can become so high that it gives off the impression that all your senses are affected – including your smell and touch.

Sometimes the experience becomes so overwhelming that some people end up experiencing motion sickness in the 360 video mode, but it’s not something to worry about as it can be easily cleared up by just taking the headset off momentarily.

So far, all of the applications launched for the Samsung Gear VR are free, but come Q1 of 2015, the store will expand into paid applications. There is an exact number of 23 applications currently in existence for the headset, including games such as Herobound: First Steps, Ikarus, the infamous Dreadhalls, Darknet – one of the only full games available for the Gear VR, Esper and Proton Pulse.

Other applications involve different ways to experiment virtual reality such as viewing 360 video – fragments of Cirque du oleil, Pacific Rim and Avengers, or beautiful settings to take you in and amaze.

Wrapping up…

Well, the Gear VR is here and it’s here to stay. It may not be exactly like you thought it would be, or how The Sims and many others depicted it few years back, but it’s on its way. While to some the device may feel unfinished or rushed onto the market, for the people who decide to acquire it alongside the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, improvements will make their way to your headset.

Chances that the next virtual reality devices to come out in the near future will not us any other new and revolutionizing technology, but rather – the phone as a support tool to make VR possible will stick and expand to more and more phone models for a while the very least.

The user interface and general versatility of the Gear VR may not be too much right now, but considering this is just the first step in a very long line of virtual reality-related technology, even if you get the device as early as now, improvements, updates and new applications will come undoubtedly wave after wave to improve the experience and take it to the next level.

Waiting until a more refined version makes its way to the markets is not a bad call either, but mistake it not – virtual reality is inevitably coming our way, it’s just a matter of time.

Image Sources: Gadgetos, NextMedia, Amazonaws, BBStudio, PhoneArena, Arstechnica.