Product Comparison: Samsung Gear VR (2015) vs Samsung Gear VR (2016)

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Samsung Gear VR (2015) Virtual Reality Headset

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Samsung Gear VR (2016)

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General Specifications

Brand

Samsung

Model

Gear VR (2015)

Gear VR (2016)

Origin

China

About the Product

Buy and watch hundreds of Hollywood movies & TV shows in Oculus Cinema. In Oculus Video, watch 2D videos including trailers, clips, and your own movie files in a completely new way. You can choose from multiple VR theater environments including a home theater, a huge screen theater, and even the surface of the moon!

The Gear VR turns your Samsung Galaxy smartphone into a completely portable and wireless virtual reality machine by snapping your phone into the headset. The immersive Super AMOLED screen plus a powerful processor create vivid surroundings and movements so realistic, you’ll feel like you’ve been dropped right into the center of the action.

Key Specs

Movement Tracking

Control Type

Buttons

Sensors

Accelerometer, Gyrometer, Proximity (Mount/Unmount Detection)

Wireless

Yes

Movement Tracking
Wireless

What customers say about "Key Specs"

Samsung Gear VR (2015) Virtual Reality Headset

Using Oculus cinema, you can choose theater themes AND in the VOID mode, you can adjust the size of the screen and make the screen follow your movements (to stay centered) even if you are reclining back in your easy chair!
Adjustments for focus can be made with the focus wheel.
You can play back 3D SBS videos by creating a folder called 3D inside of the movies folder and placing the 3D videos in that folder.
The combination of the goggle sensors and the phone sensors are really amazingly good at tracking your head movements.
Without a remote, your hand/arm will tire quickly of moving around in-game.
No IPD adjustments to allow you to adjust eye spacing. This feature would surely improve the viewing experience and reduce eye strain.

Samsung Gear VR (2016)

VR is far more immersive than the Google Cardboard.
Controlling on screen avatars adds another element to video games
The built in VR cinema is interesting.The 360 viewing is awesome.
The value is good, it is a couple lenses, some sensors, and some controls.
I've never gotten motion sickness until I used this. Used it for maybe 5 minutes to set it up and now i wanna vomit.
It's a pain to use if you don't have the controller.
It came without controller.

Size & Weight

Color

Frost White

Black

Height

3.65 in.

3.88 in.

Width

7.95 in.

8.18 in.

Depth

4.58 in.

4.82 in.

Weight

17 oz.

12.1 oz.

What customers say about "Size & Weight"

Samsung Gear VR (2015) Virtual Reality Headset

The straps are easily adjusted when switching users.
It's pretty comfortable to wear.
It's not heavy though I could see that after an hour and a half you may want to take a break
For people with smaller faces, the weight of the device starts to hurt/pinch a bit after 15 min or so.
The headset itself is lightweight but after a while you start to notice the weight of it a little more.

Samsung Gear VR (2016)

Pretty comfortable to wear, didn't notice any fatigue after an hour of gameplay
The weight of the device was OK and the straps, when adjusted, worked as expected.
The device is comfortable and well supported when it is on your face. I
It's way too heavy. It gave me a headache just from the weight of the device.
I was a bit concerned with fatigue from the weight of the headset, but it is unsubstantial

Display

Field Of View

96 °

101 °

Focus Adjustment Wheel

Yes

Interpupillary Distance Adjustment

Features

Buttons

Touch panel, Back button, Volume buttons

Touch panel, Home button, Back button, Volume buttons

Extras

360° viewing, Compatible with samsung galaxy devices, Virtual Reality Anywhere

360° viewing, Powered by Oculus, Compatible with samsung galaxy devices

Adjustable Headband

Yes

Integrated Speaker(s)

Integrated Microphone

Power Source

Need no power supply

Integrated Speaker(s)
Integrated Microphone

What customers say about "Features"

Samsung Gear VR (2015) Virtual Reality Headset

Oculus makes it very easy to maneuver the home menu and I had no problems downloading a few free games right out of the package
Software integration is fairly well implemented.
Partnership with Oculus adds high end features and apps such as Netflix VR and other Oculus / GearVR exclusives.
Integration with the Samsung phone is fantastic. Built-in controller pad, home/back button, volume controllers. Control Panel within the VR software environment as well.
External controls! You can select applications, change the volume, re-orient the screen, go back to previous menus, play games, and more without ever taking the headset off. This is a BIG DEAL!
Only supports a few specific models
Lacking content on the app store, in particular, it would be nice to have a few demos!
Tends to overheat after 45mins-1hour+ of use especially if any other application or download is running on phone.

Samsung Gear VR (2016)

Being able to move your head to look around an environment is pretty damn impressive
Fairly easy to set up and use. I followed the user's manual directions and it took me about 10 or 15 minutes to get it set up and working.
The Home button and mouse pad were easy to access/find while using the Gear VR. It was easy to navigate using the controls.
I love that this device has a charger port so that you can plug in your phone charger while in use to preserve the battery (it's a battery hog).
Installation is kind of inconvenient, and the Oculus app can't be installed before the headset arrives.
Suffers from a lack of YouTube app.
VR Cinema does not support Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, or any other popular movie streaming services.

Warranty / Certifications

Manufacturer Warranty

1 year(s)

Certifications

Other Information

Manufacturer

Link

Manual

Download