You have to experience virtual reality with Samsung Gear VR

Have you had an opportunity to try out the Samsung Gear VR virtual reality headset? If not, your’e missing out.

Unlike the lame 3D fad, virtual reality has tremendous potential to change the way we view content and interact with the world. The Samsung Gear VR headset is a reasonably-priced device that can bring the virtual reality experience to the masses.

I wrote recently about why the Samsung Gear VR is like magic:

Samsung Gear VR is here. The first major consumer-focused commercial effort in virtual reality is available for a mere $99. The bargain price has led to the device selling out in a matter of days and it will probably fill many stockings and sit under many Christmas trees this holiday season. I’ve had a chance to play with Samsung Gear VR and I can tell you that the experience is pure magic on many levels, but also has some limitations.

The Gear VR headset looks bulky and cumbersome, but it is actually quite comfortable when adjusted properly. The device I used was actually an earlier model. The wide straps are stretchy and adjustable so you can customize the fit, and there’s a strap that comes over the top of your head that lightens the load on the bridge of your nose. The surface that actually makes contact with your face is covered with a foam cushion.

I found that there was certainly room for improvement in the ergonomics and aesthetics departments, but for an early entry into a new market the Samsung Gear VR headset is incredibly well-engineered. It seems that Samsung has already made some of those modifications, though, because the retail version available to the public is 19 percent lighter, with controls that are more comfortable and intuitive.

When you connect the Samsung smartphone to the Gear VR headset it automatically launches the Oculus Store, where you can find and download videos, apps, and games designed to work with the virtual reality experience. At the recommendation of a friend I checked out an app called Vrse.

I watched a video clip that makes you feel like your immersed in some surreal dreamscape. I was standing on water—in the middle of a lake—and I could look around in all directions at the beautiful landscape. I saw a train on horizon chugging along down the shoreline. As I watched the train, though, it suddenly took a sharp left turn and came straight at me—driving out to the middle of the lake. There is no actual impact obviously, but the point when the train “hit” me was still a bit unnerving and took my breath away. The train exploded into a massive flock of black birds or bats, which then transformed into ribbons raining down on the lake. Next thing I knew I was floating—then flying. It was like I was launched into some sort of wormhole vortex created by the ribbons, and then I found myself in space. As I drift around, though, I discovered that I wasn’t in space. I was in a womb. The planet I thought I was orbiting is actually the head of a baby.

No. I wasn’t drunk or stoned. You just have to watch the video for yourself. I took the Gear VR headset with me to my daughter’s dance studio and played with it while she was in class. We were very late getting home that night, however, because when she and her friends came out every single person had to experience the Gear VR headset for themselves. At least once. And every person that tried it out was absolutely amazed by what they experienced.

You can read the full post on Forbes: The Magic Of Samsung Gear VR.