Samsung Gear VR SM-R322NZWA White For S7, S7 Edge, Note 5, S6, S6 Edge and S6 Edge+

Good for s7edge

It's totally a different imaginary immersive experience. Visceral. 360 Degree, 3D videos are amazing.

Controlling the unit without VR controller is not good Environments in each apps are vere level

i enjoy the movie with this product

A Samsung Note 4 does not fit into the viewer. Having purchased it, I can truly say this is an original product and is perfect! Shipped well before time and all queries and concerns were answered.

Enjoying my VR ......

as good as 1400/- one, nothing special

Nice

I’ve been waiting for these googles my whole life, but sadly I’m afraid I might have to wait a little longer.NOTE: I’ve paid for these goggles. They were not a freebie in return for a review (unfortunately). Although if someone wants to send me some free ones they are more than welcome ;)First some background. I’m a military pilot. I have 20/20 vision and have never required any vision correction. My vision gets tested annually. I also don’t suffer from motion sickness. I only mention this now, not to brag, but it will become pertinent later when I bring up a couple of things I’ve learnt about myself from operating with Night Vision Goggles (NVG’s). I’m also not an optometrist/ophthalmologist so hopefully my opinions are close to correct.I’m using my goggles with a Galaxy S7 Edge (no screen protector – as instructed by the goggles instructions).First the good stuff…- The Oculus app, and store (that come included – and are indeed required) is great. The Oculus app is it’s own ecosystem of apps… and all other apps are launched from WITHIN the Oculus app. It looks professional and sets the tone for a great VR experience. It’s your very first look into the VR world, and as soon as you put the goggles on you know you are in for something special. Oculus have done a great job and Samsung has done well to pair with them.- A good number of the apps you can access for free, through the Oculus store, are pretty impressive even just simply accessing their main menu screens. They really leverage the VR experience.MY TIPS:(1) The download and installation of the REQUIRED Oculus app is fully automatic once you connect your phone. The setup is really easy so don’t stress if you are concerned about a big setup process. The Oculus app makes it all very easy. (2) If you are like me and want to try and download the Oculus app and additional content prior to the arrival of your goggles don’t worry about it. There appears to be no way of doing it without the goggles, so like me you will be just wasting your time looking. I found there is not too much about the how to access the Samsung VR/Oculus apps written anywhere – I did search beforehand and was a little confused as to what was available and how to download them from Google Play Store. Basically… you don’t! (NOTE: you will find ‘Google Cardboard’ VR apps in the Google Play Store, and also find online workaround tips on how to use ‘Google Cardboard’ apps with the Samsung VR goggles. This is definitely not required, and these apps are run EXTERNALLY to the Oculus app and it’s ecosystem.) (3) Definitely try the Netflix app, Moon VR player, Samsung Milk VR, Titans of Space. They are all pretty impressive. A number of the VR players on there will also allow you to play your own content from your SD Card.Next… Get a controller… maybe…- Although the Samsung VR goggles come with a touchpad controller on the side, which can do MOST stuff, life can be a little easier with a separate Bluetooth controller (sometimes). It also gives you access to some of the content that requires a controller.- Don’t get confused when you read online about people using ‘magnets’ to control VR apps. This is a ‘Google Cardboard’ thing, and once again does not apply to anything from the Oculus store.- I happened to have the “MOGA Pocket” Bluetooth game controller already, just by chance. It works with the Samsung goggles if you set it up properly. It took me a little while to track down the info on this.- The “MOGA Pocket” is an older controller (but feels good and works well enough) that’s on Amazon for only $6 right now so why not? (That’s way less than what I paid for it 6 months ago.)MY TIPS FOR THE “MOGA POCKET” CONTROLLER:(1) Forget about the “MOGA Pivot App”. Unless you want it for the games on their website which (a) aren’t good (b) aren’t free (c) reportedly no longer work or download properly. Importantly… THE MOGA PIVOT APP DOES NOT WORK WITH THE OCULUS APP. I wasted hours trying to get this to work before conceding defeat and giving up. The redemption code included in the box for a free game also doesn’t work. Overall… very poorly done. (2) Download the “MOGA UNIVERSAL DRIVER” from the playstore. Manually pair the controller via Bluetooth to your phone (I think my controller showed as ‘BD&A’ or something like that), then open the “MOGA Universal Driver” app, and continue the setup, and add it to your keyboards. NOTE: You need to open the app, pair the controller activate the keyboard, and enable the driver, prior to inserting your phone into the goggles each time. (There is probably a more automated way but I haven’t worried at this stage). (3) There is more info in the Amazon reviews for the MOGA controllers if I’ve not been clear here. (This was not meant to be a MOGA Controller review :)' )(UPDATE: please note that someone in the comments has mentioned that they have had trouble trying to get this controller to work with the headset. The best I can offer is that the MOGA controller worked fine for me, although I no longer have the headset to test it out anymore (still working fine for Non-GEAR VR apps right now though)... if this concerns you there are a number of other controllers out there give a go. I do believe it was worthwhile having one.)Now the negatives… and there’s a pretty big one…… Within about 5-10mins of putting these goggles on I start to feel a painful eye strain. It is NOT excruciating, however it is quiet noticeable and uncomfortable and more importantly I can still feel it some many hours after taking them off. This is not motion sickness, but eyestrain. It feels like pulling a muscle… in your eye sockets. I’ve spent ages trying to work it out and I think it all comes down to the basicness and cheapness of Samsung’s build/design.I’m not an optometrist/ophthalmologist but for what it’s worth here are my thoughts.- Inter Pupillary Distance (IPD) – IPD is the distance between the pupils (your eyes) and hence how far the lenses are apart. Most of us have used binoculars before. You will recall there are normally 3 basic adjustments to be made:- IPD (when you adjust the width of your binocs), Diopter, and Focus. The IPD in the Samsung goggles is fixed, yet we don’t all have one-size-fits-all heads. I've read previously that the Samsung VR goggles are designed for 55-71mm IPD (I'm not sure what mine are). The spacing between the two images on your phone screen is also fixed. This affects the ‘convergence’ of your eyes. Think of the case where the lens’ IPD are too far apart. Each eye will be trying to look in opposite directions to see through each lens at the same time, whilst simultaneously trying to converge the 2 images into one in an attempt to create a stereoscopic image. This is not normal for your eyes. In real life they normally naturally converge onto one subject in a manner comfortable to them… not look outwards (as in the ‘too wide’ case) at 2 separate images. The opposite is true for too close – you must go slightly cross-eyed. Ideally, you should be able to adjust the lenses in the goggles, to your eyes IPD and natural convergence range.Also... if you aren't looking through the centre of the lens, but rather the edge, they go out of focus. The spacing of the lenses in the is not the same as my IPD hence I am not looking through the centre of the lens most of the time.- Diopter – Diopter is designed to let you compensate for differences between your own two eyes. Basically, some people’s eyes don’t focus equally… so what you do is close one eye, then focus for the open eye normally. Then change eyes and adjust the diopter for the now open eye. Both eyes should now be in focus. Think of it as individual focus for each eye. (On your binoculars it's the eyepiece with the +/- numbers around it.) The Samsung VR goggles do not have the ability to adjust diopter or focus for each eye individually. Just one central focus adjustment.Now, as some background, prior to each flight on NVG’s we place them into a calibrated test unit and adjust the diopter and IPD (amongst other things) for myself and my special head. Most of us are all slightly different. The outcome however is that we can wear these goggles comfortably for many hours with no adverse eyestrain. In my case my diopter is generally 0 meaning my eyes focus about the same. The same goes for the diopter setting on my Canon DSLR. Now I don’t know if I have a bad set of VR goggles (but I do tend to trust the expensive and calibrated aviation NVG's), but with the Samsung VR goggles I find that if I close one eye and focus the goggles, when I switch eyes the other is always out of focus. Sadly as there is no way to adjust diopter (or focus each eye separately) this cannot be rectified and may be another source of this discomfort – as one eye is always struggling to focus an unfocusable image. I certainly personally have never experienced eye discomfort like this wearing goggles.So why such a low rating from me? Because regardless of how awesome the technology behind it is, and how good the Oculus store and associated apps are, it is all a deal breaker if the goggles cause eye pain.AND, because there are a number of small no name chinese manufacturers out their turning out plastic Google Cardboard goggles that are of comparable build quality (the Samsung goggles only have plastic lens’ also), that also offer IPD adjustment and individual eye focus, for less than $30. I find it astonishing that Samsung has not incorporated these features and can only assume that they might have been able to rectify my discomfort. Considering this is Samsung’s second generation of these goggles, and considering the resources behind Samsung, and considering SAMSUNG CHARGE 3xTIMES MORE! for their goggles, I would expect that they would have these basic features also included, just as the cheaper manufacturers have (they could also easily include a calibration section in the Oculus app allowing you to adjust the goggles and set the apps IPD, as well as calibrate Diopter).So, whilst it guts me to say this, and I really really want to keep them… but every time I use them I can’t help but feeling I’m doing irreparable damage to my eyes… So I’m going to have to send them back. Hopefully Samsung will do a better job with their 3rd generation goggles - we are almost there.In the meantime I might try some of the 3rd party goggles and see how they feel and will likely report back here with an update.Sorry for the long winded review. Hopefully you found some of it useful.

I have been following VR for quite awhile reading news everyday on the big boys Oculus Rift and Vive, reading impressions, watching interviews and people's reactions after using some of these devices. Even though I have never used one, I was convinced VR will change how we consume entertainment media. So I decided to get Gear VR to get a first taste of what VR is like because I have a Galaxy S6 Edge Plus anyway...why not..it's only $99 bucks.Upon donning the headset, I was presented with a view of the Home screen and notice right away a sense of scale and presence. I feel like a giant looking down 20 feet above or so from the ground. The table and chairs behind me are HUGE. The UI of the Home screen is sleek and easy to use. You simply move your head to move the cursor where you want and select by tapping the right side of the cross indent cross bar. First thing I check out is Oculus Cinema. I gotta to check out the theaters. I heard many testimonies about how cool and real it is...so upon loading up a video and selecting Oculus Theater, I feel literally like I am actually INSIDE a theater...the screen is huge, OH MY. I can look around and see a bunch of empty seats...i can look behind me and basically anywhere I want...this is PRESENCE my friend. This is what I expected and actually more than I expected. I knew it's going to be like this (because I heard about it) but until you experience it, you don't really know. I begin to download some 3D movies to my phone and watch them and see how it look....and OH MAN, it does look like I'm watching a 3D movie. The 3D really do pop out of the screen just like real theaters. This is really cool. Now, there are other theaters that you can go to such as Ant Theater and Moon Theater...but I only like the Oculus Cinema Theater and Void Theater. Void Theater is really cool because you're much closer to the screen.So after testing out the theaters, I head out and explore other videos. I am really impressed with the UI they created. It's easy to navigate and easy to identify different sections of the menu. Milk VR is impressive with its contents. It shows 360 degree of videos that you can actually look around and see everything...oh my, this is impressive. This will change the experience of everything we know about watching videos or pictures. In a flat 2D screen, you can only capture a single view of the video but this is a whole different level. I can see everything like I am actually really there 360 turn around....amazing. For some reason I feel like this is expected because I guess I have read too many VR news and understood how it work. So i wasn't as awed as perhaps compare to someone who never heard about VR. Never the less, I am quite impressed with this new media. Other things I look at are Oculus 360 videos (most of the videos are blurry here), Oculus 360 pictures (check out the 3D pictures, they're impressive and the scale is perfect). Now one thing I want to mention is that of all the videos and pictures I seen, most of them seem huge, i mean HUGEEE like the scale is incorrect. You feel like a giant among giants. I don't know if that's the way VR work or is it something they're working to correct. When I look at the 3D 360 pictures, they seem to get the scale correct. Not so with the traditional 360 pictures or videos. I have learned something by watching these videos and pictures though. I learned it's important to get the correct height of the camera so users get a better experience. If it's too high, you feel like a giant. If it's too low, you're a midget. They need to get it right. Overall, i am impressed with Vrideo, Milk videos, Oculus 360 videos and pictures, Picture Gallery app. I check out Vimeo and Twitch, it's cool. I checked out the Social App...okay cool, you can watch some videos with 3 or 4 people in the same room and chat with them. It's cool but I don't see people staying there too long. It's more like a curiosity and then let me get out of here.Now let's talk about gaming. I bought a couple games and the best so far is Gunjack. This game is amazing. I never understand what it means to be playing a virtual reality game until now. You really feel a sense of scale and presence inside this amazing looking game with its UNREAL ENGINE graphics. As the ship move about, you feel totally immersed because of how realistic everything is and the ability to look anywhere. You really feel like you're inside a cockpit. Anshar War is a similar game with 360 movement shooting in every directions. Dead Secret is a good start for a VR explore game. You really feel like you're standing in a room when you play this game. You can't physically walk but you can teleport. By the way, you will get motion sickness if you're moving from point A to B when your body is not reacting to any movement. So i suggest play this game using teleport movement. Even if you're watching a 360 videos...if the movement is drastic and accelerate from point to point without constant speed, just stop or close your eyes because you will get motion sickness. You will sense it and it's coming and you just need to stop. So far, I haven't let motion sickness get to me but when i feel it is coming, I had to either stop or close my eyes. Some of these 360 videos are just terrible not just quality wise but induce motion sickness. There should be ratings for watching 360 degree videos. Ratings should include motion sickness, quality of the video and graphical contents. Now I know why games such as Call Of Duty or any games that required one running from point A to point B are impossible to make due to motion sickness. Even in simple game like Land's End induce a bit of motion sickness due to it's acceleration and stop motion. And now i know why developers want to use teleportation to get player from point A to point B because it presents no motion sickness at all. Now with a game like Dead Secret, it's cool that you can stand there and look around your environment and explore like you're actually there. But it's much cooler if you can walk around a bit too and this is when i feel VIVE will trump all headsets out there. The ability to walk naturally anywhere you want in a 15'x15' is going to take VR to another level. Everything you can do naturally with your body, you can do it with VIVE and I don't know about Oculus Rift. I heard it has occlusion problem if you turn all the way around since they only use two cameras to capture the front of your headset. People say that you can buy additional cameras and put them behind you and that will solve the problem but I don't now that. I feel VIVE...with it's huge space is going to be amazing for gaming and actually better for shooting now that you have a lot more space to operate. You can always teleport to different areas and continue exploring in your natural body movement. Any movement that involve using thumbsticks are just going to induce motion sickness because your body is not reacting to the physics of the virtual world.Now I heard eventually Gear VR can be tracked with Valve's Lighthouse and using Valve's controllers. If that's the case, that's a game changer because now you have a headset that is totally untethered and now you add the ability to walk around without any wire tangling up is going to be amazing. But there is a trade off though. Gear VR is never going to be as powerful as Oculus Rift or VIVE with their PC's graphics fidelity. Not only that, it is not as comfortable as Oculus Rift and VIVE...why? Because it is much heavier due to the weight of the phone. I feel neck tiredness while using it for a long period of time. I feel eyes strained as well but that's due to the sharpness and focus of the lenses. Gear VR doesn't have positional tracking. It also doesn't have 3D audio which the other big boys will have. So, VIVE and Oculus Rift are going to take VR to a different level when they come out.Overall, I give Gear VR 5/5 for starter since there isn't anything to compare to for now. When the big boys come out, look out!! Gear VR will be treated like boy compare to man.

Received this on 11/24. I had also ordered one via Tmobile as the shipment for this one was delayed with it being too late for me to cancel this before the Tmobile one shipped. Very bad on Amazon's part considering I ordered on the 11th to not give any anticipated ship date in advance of shipping. Regardless, now on to the device:One word...AMAZING!!! After trying the Google Carboard, this blows that experience out of the water. One can only imagine what the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and Playstation VR will be like when those are released next year. However, none of those are portable, this is.When setting this up, just follow the included pictures for the straps. I actually do connect the head strap as it just feels more comfortable on my face when I do. I think its not quite as featherly light as reviewers seem to make this out to be. I mean it's holding a Note 5, plus the device, so though its not heavy, you definitely feel it on your face or nose. It's not like wearing sunglasses. Regardless, its not bad and i played for 4-5 hours straight and was fine toward the end. just make sure you adjust the straps to fit comfortably and you'll be fine.One recommendation I'll give up front is not to force anything when putting it in. Your phone should easily click into the micro usb port and then you push the phone in and then click down the other side so the phone sits in place. Removing it is a bit harder as that same piece that you click down to hold it in place doesn't exactly lift smoothly when you want take your phone out. Every time I do I'm wondering if that plastic piece will break. Anyway, it fits snug..though not with my Spigen Case on. Fortunately it's easy to take that case on and off.Once you plug it in, it tells you to take it out and install the software. That's easy to do. I had an issue unfortunately where I must have had corrupted Oculus software when it downloaded for whatever reason. I'm not sure if it was due to my 360 Security, some other software on my phone, the internet which in my house is very very strong and fast (120mbps), but after a day of troubleshooting with a very responsive individual at Oculus, uninstalling all of the Oculus SW on my Note 5 under the application manager and then reinstalling solved the problem. Prior to reloading, I also uninstalled the 360 security protection just in case that was a problem. After I saw everything worked, I reinstalled the security and everything continues to work well.Once your phone is plugged into the GearVR, it automatically turns it on and brings you to the Oculus Home Page. If it doesn't, take your phone out and try to put it in again. Maybe it wasn't in the MicroUSB slot properly. You may see some notification messages pop up during your experience, like the antivirus, or texts. If you hold the small back button near the controls, it brings up a menu where you can turn on Do Not Disturb. DO IT lol. It helps focus on the immersion of the experience.You will notice a screen door effect, but the immersion is so wonderful, that you will quickly lose sight of that. Its not that bad at all. I suspect that subsequent phones in 4K in the future with another iteration of this device will lesson that one negative.The field of view with the Note 5 is superior to the Google Cardboard and i felt totally immersed. There is almost no light that escapes in while I wear it. The foam really does a great job of insulating the experience. If you dim the lights, you shouldn't really notice any light at all.For the controller, I used the Moga Pro Power which I got from Target and it works perfectly so far. There is an A and B setting which it will explain in the instructions. Use setting B. It works!Though I have a lot more to try, these are the apps so far I recommend:Ocean Rift: I downloaded the demo. This was the first WOW moment. Try the Shark. It was absolutely stunning. I was so impressed I felt that they deserve my money for that first WOW factor, so I paid for the full version.Battle for Avengers Tower: Short, but an excellent way to feel the immersive experience this device offers and gives you an idea of what it would feel like to be inside of a movie (which I know is coming one day).Jurassic World: Apatosaurus: Short, but very cool to see what it feels like to stand next to a Dinosaur.VRSE: Great on the Google Cardboard, even better on the Gear VR.Dreadhalls Demo: Very cool, but can make you dizzy if you aren't used to VR. Also a bit creepy, so if you aren't into surprises don't play this lol. However, excellent intro into VR gaming. Requires a controller I believe.Titans of Space: Fantastic, especially if grew up loving astronomy and the planets. Great use of VR while learning at the same time.Netflix: This is where portable wins. Have your own Big Screen TV anywhere you go.Land's End: Not the world's best graphics, but something about the experience is very soothing with the music in the background, the proper use of colors, and the puzzles are fun. If you are not patient and don't like puzzle games, this is not for you. It doesn't require a controller.Herobound Spirit Chamption: An excellent Legend of Zelda like game. Very very well done if you are new to VR.There is a SocialVR app that lets you join a room and sit with up to 4 others. You chose an Avatar, so they obviously can't see the real you, and you watch videos together. The leader who started the room can boot you out (that happened to me as when I joined I inadvertently I guess took one of their friend's space lol). If you have a mic, you can talk to them. You don't have to if you don't want to, and by sliding the controller left and right on the side of your headset you can change seats if any are open :-). It's a great introduction to what we will see in the future. Imagine sitting on a beach with your family who are on the other side of the country, but you are all in a virtual world talking with each other..that's where this is going one day.Anyway that's enough to get you started. I played last night for about 5 hours before draining the battery on my Note 5 and NOT ONE OVERHEATING ISSUE :-). That surprised me. Get this folks. Its the beginning of something wonderful. It has a long way to go, but this is a huge first step. I have so many ideas of how this could be used, so I hope they go in the direction of my head lol.

I bought this as an impulse after a friend brought his over and we played around on it for a couple hours. Here is my in breakdown if you don't want to read the entire review.Pro's:1. Fun for getting a taste of where the VR technology is going and what will be available in a few years.2. Compared to other options for price and quality available (Cardboard, Vive, VR One, Oculus) it is affordable and *easy to use.3. Decent look overall and comfortable to wear.* Device hardware is simple enough but the software could use some work. For instance you would not be able to hand this over to someone and them intuitively figure out how to navigate the system easily which means you will basically have to have the person take off the headset each time to load up the next "demo" you want to show them.Con's:1. Uses phone as processing source which means you can't use phone while in operation.2. Tends to overheat after 45mins-1hour+ of use especially if any other application or download is running on phone.3. Design of back-plate to cover phone and lenses has holes which allow dust to get in which requires *constant dusting/cleaning before use.4. Only works with 3-4 Samsung model phones at the moment.5. To actually have any kind of VR style immersion you need to purchase additional hardware such as a Bluetooth headset and controller.6. Not a lot of content is available for free with most averaging 2-5$ and the better games/demos costing 9-15$. Hopefully more content will become available as this technology matures.Hands-On:Purchased this as an impulse buy after a night of drinking and honestly after getting through the "Wow" factor and a few uses it looses its luster. The device is decently made and pretty lightweight and isn't as awkward to wear as you might expect even for longer periods of time. I am using a Samsung S6 as the Screen/Processor of this device and it works pretty well. I will note that most cases will need to be taken off to be locked into place on the headset. I am using a "Samsung Protective Cover for Samsung Galaxy S6 - Clear Black Sapphire" available on amazon for 4.99 which is thing enough it fits in the Gear without having to remove it. Also another note on the phone is that any protective screen you use could impact the visual quality of the Gear and if you use a tempered glass screen read the reviews of other owners as if you try to put it in the Gear and snap in place it can crack or break the Glass Protector.Controls and Navigation:Onto the actual use of the device. Now, IMHO, this device is pretty much useless and incredibly awkward/difficult to navigate unless you also purchase a bluetooth controller especially for any games as the controls on the device are "swipe" driven by a touch pad on the right side of the headset. I find that even after a few uses of the Gear the built in controls never feel "comfortable".Software:The software itself cannot be installed onto the phone prior to the Gear being attached which is not a big deal to most I'm sure but I found it mildly annoying. Once the phone is attached and the Gear software is up the phone becomes unusable as a phone. You will be able to see text messages pop up but I have not found a way to interact with them or respond and without taking the phone out of the Gear there is no way to access any of the other applications on your phone even if they are for VR. Basically this means that you are limited to what is available in the Samsung Gear Store.Using the Gear:The headset itself is adjustable and pretty lightweight. It fits well enough for me that it isn't uncomfortable even after prolonged usage. I have found, however, that being "plugged in" for awhile (40+ minutes) after removing the headset there is a displaced vertigo feeling for a few minutes afterwards. Akin to If you have ever driven on a long straight road for awhile and then stopped your vision has that pinching effect where everything looks like it's still coming towards you. Another note is that there is no cover for the part of the lens that are closest to your eyes and the back-plate which covers the back of the Gear has air holes which means dust *Will get on the lenses. So you must clean/dust the lenses before every single use. I have been putting the Gear back into the box it came in to cut down on this but it still gets particles that will be extremely noticeable once you are wearing it if not cleaned beforehand.Applications:Now, one huge issue with this is that even while not doing much in the Gear your phone will tend to get hot. You can also pretty much forget about downloading content or applications while the phone is hooked up to the Gear. If you are say playing a game and you set a few different applications or demos to download so you could play them later then it is most likely your phone will overheat and require you to take the phone out of the headset for 15 minutes to cool down. Therefore, you should download any content you are planning on using while the phone is not in the headset prior to use. Also, to help remedy this I usually do not attach the back-plate cover that goes over the phone as it helps more airflow get to the back of the phone and keep it cool. I have not noticed much in the way of light leaking around my phone even without the back-plate so this has been a good method to help the issue.Content:I have also found that there isn't a lot of content available *yet. I would say probably around 100 or so demos/applications/games that you can play which are fun but when you get down to the core there are only around 10 or so you will find yourself actually playing/watching/using for more than 10 minutes. I have had decent luck with downloading 3d VR compatible videos/demos and loading them onto my phone for playback within the Gear video player. In fact some of the best HD content I have found was from outside sources. Now another thing to keep in mind is that most of the content available is not free especially for the well rated media that you will watch/play more than 1 time and range from 2-15$. *Since this technology is still in its infancy I assume there will be much more content to come as more developers get on-board. But for the time being there is just not a lot of good media available.Final Thoughts:The device is fun for awhile but I will never be buying a system like this again that uses my phone as the "brains" of the system. I didn't really think about how inconvenient it would be that I wouldn't be able to use the phone while operating the Gear. Also the cleaning of the Gear lenses and phone screen (finger smudges from everyday use) prior to every single use makes it a bit of a hassle to use the device as often as I would like. The "hidden" costs of using the Gear become apparent quickly as most content available is not free and to actually make this enjoyable and immersive you need a bluetooth headset and bluetooth controller. So the 99$ for a consumer VR experience really becomes well over 150-200$ depending on the additional purchases. (GearVR 99$ + Headset ~25$ + Controller ~25$ = 150$) and that's just the hardware not including the games and media you buy through the store.For anyone interested in purchasing this I will say that it is a fun teaser to experience Virtual Reality in your house and see what the technology is like. Even with the additional hardware needed to make the experience enjoyable a VR headset for less that 200$ is pretty affordable. If you have the money to shell out it is fun but I find that beyond showing it off to other people who have never experienced VR before it lacks that "pop" that will have you using it for more than a month or two. There is still a long way to go before VR is in a place that I will be spending anymore money in the technology.

I have the Homido, Sunnypeak, and the Desktek, and This is - without a doubt - the best of the phone holders I have used..What sets it apart is it's software platform, it's ability to accurately track using on-board sensors, it's flat FOV and optics, it's light-weight, it's long-term comfort, it's ease of onboard navigation (though using a Samsung game-pad works so much better), as well as for allowing for a USB cord to be plugged-in to power your device while using it..FOV is excellent. Could there be more? Sure, if you want a greater screen door effect (which I don't).. But "Excellent..." IPD? There is no adjustment here, but it's very well adjusted as it is - and provides a view (for me) which is better than any of the headsets I have tried with an IPD adjustment.Focus is easily achievable; with a better adjustment mechanism than that on the Sunnypeak or the Homido.The view in VR is flat. Unlike others which have used optics which cause distortion around the edges of your field of view, Samsung really did a great job nailing optics.. Perfect? Nope! Really good though! And better than any other phone holder I have tried.Limitations? Like I said, IPD is not adjustable - but again.. I don't have an issue with that personally..It doesn't come with a case, and as much of a dust magnet the optics can be, it may be worth looking for one of those.. Most of this unit's limitations - my gripes - are software based - I wish there was more software to choose from - especially a network file browser - I wish you could move around the home screen to the couch, and be taken to theater or Netflix, sit on the edge of the swimming pool or etc.. But these are piddling gripes which will get taken care of in new generations of VR and over time (no doubt)..The main gripe I have is that my S6 overheats constantly - even when using apps like Netflix.. However - In Void Mode.. No overheating and you can watch your Netflix Movies while lying down in bed, with earbuds and volume jacked up so loud it drowns out the wife snoring. ;o)Netflix, Web Browser with Full-screen Video Support, VR Cinema, immersive games - GunJack.. Man.. It's worth a hundred bucks to have a setup to play those alone. Displaying 360 Photos... You can get lost in them. The video playback in Netflix, Theater and the Samsung Browser (in full-screen mode)- the screens show detail sharper than you would think there could be, and are HUGE.. Moving your head very-slightly to see the whole thing "big"... Gallery Images look like they are 40 feet tall.So.. Personal Movie Theater? Check! :o)Screen Door Effect is noticeable - but only seemingly so on smaller details and lower quality video.. Larger, brighter images seem to provide the best results as far as image quality - but again.. Image quality is better than that of other phone holders I have tried.Tracking is excellent, I have not once encountered drift yet.. None.. Immersion is the best, The Software Platform is the best.. From the minute you strap it on - you are taken out of your surroundings until you take it off..If you want to play a Non-Samsung/Oculus game or app??You can do that, but you will either need to disable autostart on the Oculus platform when the phone is inserted using the Package Disabler Pro (or similar) app; This allows you to charge your phone while using it with third party non-oculus software, and also use the swipe-pad on the side of the Gear. OR an easier way is just to flip the USB connector on the front of the unit forward, so the phone isn't plugged in.. No swipe pad or charging functionality doing things this way, but it's the easier route, and it's designed into the gear - They really have thought of everything with this unit.The only insurmountable limitation really, is what you get for the price-point (and I honestly can't fault them there - value for money is excellent) and the hardware.. It's a phone you are looking at with all the limitations which go along with that.Most heat warnings can just be "tapped to ignore.." and in most apps this is fine, but you may see lag in many of the more involved software realms.. Games, Theater, More immersive VR etc., when your phone gets hot.I'm giving it 4 stars as I'm sure something better will come along in time.. But as of Dec 7th 2015.. If you own a compatible Phone - quit chewing on your bottom lip and get this VR headset.I also have a complete Cmoar system on order - be interesting to see how that stacks up, and gonna be pre-ordering a Consumer Rift when they get around to setting that up, as I think the software platform for Oculus will be the most polished of all the wired headsets - at least for a while..VR is here..Considering this is first generation stuff? Just.. WoW!!