With the new Galaxy Note 7 and its USB-C port (a first for the lineup), Samsung needed an updated Gear VR headset to support the new phone/port combo. But this is more than a compatibility update, if only by a little. Read on, as New Atlas reviews the more evolution than revolution 2016 Gear VR.
We aren’t going to fire off a bloated, puffed-up review of a simple accessory that, in most ways, is identical to its 2015 predecessor. The core Gear VR experience – insert Samsung flagship into hollow headset, put on, go on amazing journeys – is still here in full force, same excellent app/game selection and all. Instead let’s zero in on the few changes in the new model, look at how this chapter flows into the larger VR story and leave you to revisit our original review if you want to know more.
When you first put on the new Gear VR, one of the most obvious changes is that there’s more space inside the mask. This gives the headset a roomier feel, but it also has the unexpected happy byproduct of eliminating lens fog. The clouding-up of virtual reality lenses has been an annoyance on every Gear VR up to this point, as well as the Oculus Rift, but this time there’s no need for scuba-mask chemical agents. That extra space in the new Gear, along with some openings on the back of the mask, has created enough ventilation to finally solve the pesky lens fog problem. Read More...