Articles about Gear VR

The company that singlehandedly revived the virtual reality market from gimmicky nonsense to a paradigm shift in all types of content, is planning to launch a device that could put all the pale imitators into a corner.

According to a report from Bloomberg, the Gear VR and Oculus Rift manufacturer has plans to launch a $200 standalone headset some time in 2018.

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Take me out to the ballgame, but keep me away from traffic and overcrowded stadium annoyances. With a new partnership between Major League Baseball and Intel, you'll be able to experience what it's like to be sitting up close to the action (or if you prefer, back in the bleachers), no matter where you are.

The partnership involves Intel's True VR app, which is available for the Samsung Gear VR platform, which will broadcast one live MLB game every week for the entirety of the regular 2017 season: beginning next Tuesday, June 6.

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To prove that it's serious about becoming a major player in the virtual reality market, at today's Unpacked event which saw the unveiling of the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+, Samsung introduced a new Gear VR headset and Gear 360 camera.

Samsung changed the port on the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+, opting for USB Type-C this time round, which meant that it also had to introduce a new Gear VR headset to work with the latest flagships. Meanwhile, the new Gear 360 is promised to be more refined and easier to use.

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It is tough being a Galaxy Note7 user. First, Samsung tells customers to exchange their units for a safe one, following reports of exploding batteries. Next, the "new" Galaxy Note7 devices start catching fire too, after it was revealed that their batteries have issues as well. And, now, Samsung decides to stop production altogether, discontinuing its latest Android flagship across the globe.

What's more, because the Galaxy Note7 is clearly not safe to use, Oculus has dropped support for the Android flagship, introducing a forced update for the app that enables the Gear VR headset to work with the device.

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Back in 1996, I attended the greatest concert of my life. I was only a teenager -- not yet old enough to drive -- so I got a ride from Long Island to Randall's Island in NYC. The show was Lollapalooza, and the lineup was epic -- Metallica, The Ramones, Soundgarden, Wu-Tang Clan, and more.

Back then, concertgoers didn't have smartphones and other such modern technologies -- we stared at the stage, not a screen. In 2016, however, things are very different. The upcoming Lollapalooza concert -- the 25th anniversary of the festival which is being held in Chicago -- will have a more high-tech feel. Why? There will be virtual reality onsite -- and offsite too. The VR technology will be supplied by Sasmung's Gear VR.

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Interactivity is the name of the game these days, as illustrated by the explosion of interest in VR. Facebook may not have gone quite as far as bringing virtual reality to your newsfeed, but it does now support 360-degree photos -- or 360 Photos as it has been dubbed.

Starting tomorrow, you'll be able to upload either 360-degree photos, or panoramic photos. On the web, these become interactive images that you can scroll around using a mouse, but on a smartphone you have a couple of options. You can either tap and drag your way around an image, or hold up your phone and move it around, taking advantage of the accelerometer. If you want to get really fancy, you could don a Samsung Gear VR headset.

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Minecraft is a surprisingly popular game. The design pays homage to block-like graphics of games from earlier days -- a time when a large amount of Minecraft fans weren't even born! We have the technology to make more lifelike environments, with curved edges and circles, but that would be blasphemy to the Minecraft community. "What's old is new" as some folks say, I suppose.

Today, The Oculus Team announces that it has worked with Microsoft to bring Minecraft to Samsung's smartphone-powered virtual reality platform, the Gear VR. Owners of this solution can now experience a more-immersive Minecraft experience, by leveraging Samsung's heasdset and a third-party controller.

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Here's the deal folks -- I am scared of some amusement park rides. Put me on an intense roller coaster and I will fill with anxiety and probably weep like a baby. I know I am not alone in this regard -- I see other fearful men and women at these parks.

Today, Samsung announces a partnership with Six Flags that could make some roller coasters even more exciting. You see, Six Flags will be leveraging the Oculus-powered Samsung Gear VR for virtual reality roller coasters. The big question is, will wearing a VR mask while on a roller coaster make it even more scary for those with ride-anxiety, or could it alleviate the problem?

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The virtual reality hype is real. In years past, promised virtual reality systems were expensive and did not meet expectations. Ultimately, it never really took off in the mainstream. Low-cost electronics have birthed a renewed interest, however, as seen from Facebook's Ocluus Rift and Samsung's Gear VR.

Samsung's solution is rather genius, as it utilizes a users exiting smartphone to cut costs and reduce redundancy. Unfortunately, creating a one-size-fits-all mask for smartphones can be problematic, as the sizes and dimensions can change with every upgrade cycle. If you are the owner of a Galaxy S6 or S6 edge, however, you are in luck; Samsung today announces a refreshed Gear VR for you, with the "Innovator Edition" moniker.

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It's easy to believe that consumers are paying attention to VR technology when the media loves to write so much about it. We read quite frequently about new headsets, new cool things they make possible, new players that join this space and the potential VR has to change the way we do certain things. It's virtually impossible to not stumble upon one of these stories these days.

Yet, according to a Kantar Worldpanel ComTech report, if you were to ask consumers on the street what they think about VR headsets most will tell you they don't even know such devices exist.

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Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is among the most important new mobile devices to go on sale in the second half of 2014, alongside Apple's iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus (which launched last week); the latter is a direct competitor. The Android phablet was slated to go on sale next month, but, in no small part thanks to the strong sales performance of the new iPhones, Samsung wants to get it in consumers' hands much sooner.

Samsung has announced that Galaxy Note 4 officially goes on sale this Friday, September 2014, in its home country of South Korea. There pre-orders started earlier this month, with consumers reportedly showing a strong interest in the device. But what if you live outside of South Korea?

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Today, Samsung was expected to reveal the Galaxy Note 4, which it did; however, it was not done there. No, the company shocked the tech community with two other products, the Galaxy Note Edge and Galaxy Gear VR. The Edge is similar to the Note 4, but offers a screen that wraps around the edge of the device (hence, the name) to offer a unique second-screen-like experience.

While the Galaxy Edge (and Adam Levine) is what made the journalists in attendance gasp, the Galaxy VR was accepted mildly. This is not entirely surprising, as it is arguably nothing more than Google Cardboard, but in a more high-end chassis. You see, the VR simply holds the Galaxy Note 4 in front of your face and positions lenses in front of your eyes. Cardboard knock-off or not, it was an intriguing product that had me smiling like a child on Christmas morning.

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