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.

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