Virtual Reality was one of the hot topics in the Samsung stand at Super Mobility Week. With its announcement prior to the show about its latest wearable, the Samsung Gear VR Innovator Edition there was a great deal of attention on the company. The announcement claims a fully immersive mobile cinematic virtual reality experience powered by Oculus technology and the Samsung Note 4 smartphone. Yes, a smartphone is snapped into the VR headpiece providing all of the content for the experience.
This announcement comes after 12 months of collaboration between Samsung and Oculus. The project initially began as an experiment to see if a virtual reality experience was possible utilizing a mobile device. The phone’s GPU/CPU powers the device, so there is no need for a power cord as is required with today’s Oculus Rift device. Additionally the smartphone display is the screen for the experience.
The initial release is a beta-version for developers and still needs additional work before it is a widely available consumer product. Oculus states that this product is in addition to the Rift PC oriented product.
So how immersive was the experience? I got to try it on at the show. I’ve always looked at people with their VR headpieces and thought, never. I’m definitely not techie enough for that. I have to say, the experience was amazing. It is truly 360 degree 3D. You can look all around you and above your head and still remain in the experience.
In my session I flew in a helicopter and a hot air balloon, and rode in a gondola. Some of the highlights of where we visited were flying over the New York City skyline, looking over the edge of Angel Falls, mixing with the wildlife on the plains of Africa, and my favorite, floating with icebergs. It was beautiful high def footage and felt amazingly real. I am terrified of heights and my palms were sweating over Angel Falls. I didn’t want to close my eyes or not look down as that would have defeated the purpose of trying it, but I really wanted to not look. The floating icebergs felt so real it seemed they might hit you at any moment. The demonstrator kept asking if I felt motion sick. I did not, but I guess this must happen often given he asked me multiple times.
The product will be sold through Samsung’s online store and select partner carriers by the end of the year. Initially it is focused on the entertainment market, but it is envisioned to be used in training programs as it becomes more widely available. The product announcement claims this to be a magical experience and I have to agree. Definitely a highlight for me at the show.
