Samsung Gear VR is now so much easier to use

Sometimes the smallest change can make a world of difference.

Samsung didn’t make any significant changes to its popular Samsung Gear VR virtual reality headset, but the update it announced Wednesday promises to make it considerably easier to use for one simple reason. It now ships with a controller.

In every edition of the headset, which delivers immersive VR by combining the power of Samsung Galaxy smartphones and a headset co-developed by Oculus, the external controls included a touch-sensitive pad and a pair of physical buttons on the right side of the headset. This led to a lot of reaching up to your temple to back out of games and access some other VR controls. It was annoying and fatiguing.

Now, every Gear VR headset will ship with a small, black Bluetooth controller. It replicates the touchpad, home and back buttons. There’s a volume rocker on the face and a trigger on the front, which means that in addition to the controls that are carried over from the side of the Gear VR headset, there are now new, interactive VR possibilities.

We got a little hands-on time with the new controller and the latest Gear VR headset, which can now accommodate the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ smartphones.

Powered by two AA batteries, the Gear VR controller is backward compatible and will work with all 5 million Gear VR headsets already in consumer hands. It fits comfortably in your hand and the touchpad, which is, essentially, a giant button, is responsive. The trigger can be used in VR games to target things and pick up and release virtual objects.

Having a controller does mean you’ll have to be a little more careful when using Samsung Gear VR. There is a little strap on the controller to keep it from flying out of your hand. However, as I was trying to grab and throw a virtual object, I accidentally swung my hand into a real person standing nearby. No one was injured.

There are only three degrees of freedom as opposed to the six degrees you’ll find in Oculus Touch controllers (Google Daydream View's controller has 3-degrees). As a result, losing orientation with the controller can happen pretty easily. To reset the view, you just need to hold down the main button for a few seconds.

Overall, though, not having to blindly feel my way around the head-gear-based controller is a significant improvement. I wonder if future VR headsets will ship without that pad and those buttons.

Comments

New photos show Tesla's massive Nevada factory is coming along

'Guess we shouldn't be too surprised that the what's going to be world's largest factory...continues to get larger. Tesla's Gigafactory, a gleaming white structure amid the muted browns surrounding Reno, Nevada, seems to be coming along, according to photos snapped by NM Group, a company that describes itself as specializing in "surveying and mapping, asset modeling and management, and engineering." The group was recently mapping the area for potential power lines on behalf of an electricity company, according to Tim Hustwayte, a senior client manager based in the United Kingdom. The route took them close to the Gigafactory, and they got some shots that appear to show the factory having bulked up since Tesla's battery cell began rolling off production lines at the start of the year. The Gigafactory employed nearly 3,000 people at the start of the year, less than half of how many people are expected to be employed there...

iOS 10.3 is freeing up extra storage space, users say

Finally, an update that actually gives you storage space back. Apple launched its latest software update, iOS 10.3, on Monday. The update comes with new features like "Find My AirPods," but users seem to be noticing an added bonus: It's allegedly freeing up their storage space. Follow Atanas @atanastsekov Wow, iOS 10.3 gave me 3 gigs of storage # ios103 9:19 AM - 28 Mar 2017 · Stratford, London 157 157 Retweets 423 423 likes Follow Jonny @jonnymmxvi On iOS 10.2 I had 215GB and now on iOS 10.3 with APFS I have 220GB of free storage! That's amazing!!!!!! 11:00 AM - 28 Mar 2017 96 96 Retweets 272 272 likes Follow Rei Todoroki @ReiTodoroki Wow! iOS 10.3 decreased the amount of storage space I was taking up. 3:27 AM - 28 Mar 2017 9...

The Freedom 251 isn’t dead, it’s returned as the Freedom 420 4G feature phone for Rs 420(6.48$)

As we’re all aware by now, the Freedom 251 smartphone turned out to be a sham. The makers of the smartphone, resellers to be precise, were unable to follow through on their promise of delivering a smartphone at Rs 251 to the Indian public. Practically speaking, building such a smartphone was impossible to begin with. The bill of materials alone would place the cost of the device at over Rs 1,000 and despite claims of unnamed “partnerships” and tax breaks under the Make In India initiative, it would have been impossible to bring down the price of the smartphone and the plan fizzled out. Reality struck a harsh blow to the company and it’s offices have since been shut down. The original owners have also quietly disappeared and at least one has been arrested. It now appears that the company never gave up trying. We’ve learned that the company, now under new management, has taken a more realistic approach to the problem and have come up with yet another outra...

TechCruuse

Search This Blog