Samsung Gear VR review

As far as phone accessories go, the Oculus Gear VR has always been one of the best. But now, paired with a motion controller, you owe this to yourself if you own a Samsung smartphone.

The revised Gear VR touts a streamlined, slightly improved design and features a USB-C connector that hooks directly into the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus. However, the big draw here is the included wireless controller.

It’s a small remote that looks similar to an HTC Vive controller, elevated touchpad, punchy trigger and all. And while it may not get points for originality, it just works. Placed in either the right or left hand, this controller is simple to pair to your phone and the motion controls add a new level of interactivity that was sorely missing from the Gear VR suite.3

While the amount of titles that support motion controls are slim at the moment, what is there is actually a pretty good start. The Google Daydream View is a step ahead in that regard, as it launched last year, but I’d expect Samsung and Oculus to catch up rather quickly.

Altogether, with the robust and ever-growing collection of VR content and the new controller, the new Gear VR is a painless recommendation. It’s lighter, more comfortable and cross-compatible with older Samsung phones, too. However, if you already own a previous version of the headset, you can pick up the controller separately.
Samsung Gear VR price and release date

The new Samsung Gear VR will release April 21 to the tune.

For those already rocking a Gear VR headset, Samsung plans on selling the controller separately for $39 (about £30, AU$50).

Comparatively, the 2015 version of the headset originally cost pped down to a price of about $60 or £50 from some sources.