If Oculus Home won't launch when you connect your phone to Gear VR, the tips in our article can help!
Under normal circumstances, connecting a smartphone to Samsung Gear VR is as easy as putting on the headset itself. But if nothing happens when you put your phone in the VR glasses, then something is definitely wrong.
There are at least 2 ways to fix this problem that will not require much effort from you. So what could be the reason?
Phone not connected properly
Given that connecting the phone to the Gear VR is quite simple, it may well be a situation where it is not fully inserted or at the wrong angle.
Make sure the headset connector is in the correct position and fits into the jack on the phone. To do this, flip the headset connector to the connection position and pay attention to the status of the indicator - A or B. If your smartphone has a screen diagonal close to 6 inches or more, then set the connector to position A by pressing the small button under him.
Some Models Galaxy smartphones differ in the type of USB connector. If in your case MicroUSB is used (S7, S7 edge, Note 5, S6, S6 edge, S6 edge +), then the connector in the headset must be MicroUSB. When using USB Type-C (S9, S9+, S8, S8+, Note 8, Note FE, A8, A8+), you should change the connector to the appropriate one.
On the Samsung Gear VR, the MicroUSB and USB Type-C connectors are interchangeable and usually come with the headset itself. If for some reason you do not have the adapter you need, you can look at it in this store:
When the phone in the headset is installed correctly, it is strictly parallel to the frame of the VR glasses, and the fixing legs that hold the phone in the right position clamp it tightly and do not move. You should not feel any play or deflection when in contact with the phone. It should become one with the headset and, only in this state, you can be sure of its correct installation in Gear VR.
Software problem
Are you completely sure of the correct installation of the phone in the headset, but still nothing happens? So it's time to think about the problem with the software.
Due to conflicts in software from different manufacturers, crashes sometimes occur and the easiest way to fix them is to reinstall everything from scratch. To do this, you will have to go into your phone settings and remove those applications that are responsible for launching the Oculus shell when using Samsung Gear VR. It will not take you much time, and moreover, we have prepared step by step instructions with clear directions.
Step-by-step instruction:
- Remove phone from Gear VR headset
- Go to settings then apps
- Remove Gear VR Service
- Uninstall Gear VR SetupWizard
- Remove Gear VR System
- Remove Gear VR InputService
- Uninstall Oculus
- Uninstall Oculus VR
- Uninstall Oculus Home
- Uninstall Oculus System Driver
- Restart your smartphone
- Reconnect your phone to the Gear VR headset
- A voice prompt will ask you to turn off your phone and reinstall Oculus Skin.
In most cases, these 2 options should help you if nothing happens when you connect your phone to the Samsung Gear VR. Otherwise, it remains to address a similar problem in technical support Oculus.
Gear VR was first shown in September 2014 at the IFA in Berlin, when these virtual reality glasses were perceived as a typical exhibition product. It's no secret that Samsung likes to show what people hear, attract attention, and create such products without counting on immediate sales, this is a kind of experiment, an attempt to stake out a place in the market. So it happened with Gear VR, in 2014 the company’s representatives even found it difficult to name the cost of the glasses, only then by the release of the first version it became clear that their price was $500. Limited sales, few enthusiasts, primarily in the US and major European markets.
By the summer of 2015, an improved version of the Gear VR Innovator Edition glasses appears, which only support S6 / S6 EDGE, these glasses became the prototype of those sold today under the name Gear VR. There are quite a few differences from the first version, these are the lenses that have been blown, which prevents them from fogging, an improvement in the touch pad, a better organization of the pressure pad. It can be said for sure that based on the first reviews, Samsung has done some work on the bugs and the first mass production of Gear VR is devoid of childhood diseases of the first samples. If enthusiasts were willing to pay more for virtual reality glasses than the average consumer, then for the mass market the “old” price was prohibitive. It is worth remembering that Google Cardboard and similar simple virtual reality glasses cost in the range of $10 to $25. And there would be few people willing to pay orders of magnitude more for glasses. Therefore, Gear VR for the mass market costs $ 100, in Russian realities the price is set at 8,000 rubles. What can be considered an adequate offer, since Fibrum Pro, which is considered an analogue, costs the same in Russia. But these are products from different universes, in Fibrum Pro we see good optics, but a very stupidly made harness, a head holder, it is not so convenient in it. The absence of electronics as such, as well as controls, everything is only in the software on the phone that you insert into these glasses. In my opinion the choice software is also quite limited, despite the large number of titles, there is almost nothing really interesting. But in the Oculus app store, the set of applications has already exceeded 150, and many are free, there are interesting walks around the planet, games and programs. The Oculus platform is a priority for major developers, as it is where both content developers and players like Samsung are investing their efforts today.
Gear VR's positioning is straightforward, it's a toy for young people who want to try something new. The warning in the instructions, and even at the start of the glasses, states that they are not intended for use by children under 12 years old, do not neglect this, the consequences can be serious - from slight dizziness to nausea. All products of this kind are not intended for children, especially since they can get hurt while moving in real space, you do not control your movements and are often carried away by what is happening in the virtual world.
A common place is how the body reacts to virtual reality glasses. I tried Fibrum Pro, Gear VR of various variations, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift. In all cases, immersion in virtual reality is accompanied by a slight loss of connection with the outside world, you do not control what is happening around you. And if you get carried away, for example, standing on your feet, you can hurt your forehead, suddenly losing your balance. Therefore, I prefer to watch content in such glasses, sitting comfortably in a chair in which I can lean back, turn my head or turn around the axis to look around.
The mount in Gear VR is such that you can put either Galaxy S6/S6 EDGE or Note 5, EDGE+ in there. The limitation on the number of models is understandable, here you need a high screen resolution, which in all the listed devices is QHD, which allows you to create a good picture. The principle of operation of all such glasses is simple - the screen is divided into two parts, that is, a picture is displayed for the left and right eyes. And so the volumetric effect is created. The downside is that the smooth, glossy picture that we see in everyday life, when we hold the phone at arm's length, crumbles into separate points when the screen is just a few centimeters from our eyes. Unfortunately, I can't show you what it looks like, it's not a Minecraft world at all, if you had time to imagine such a thing, but it's not the smooth picture that we've been used to seeing in the last few years either. The structure of the picture is visible, which cannot be fixed until specialized helmets appear, in which screens will be built in and equipped with high resolution. All virtual reality glasses that use phones are a compromise, and a very serious one, from all points of view. The main element of such devices is optics, and here it can be made of high quality, but screens are also important.
I wear glasses, my vision is minus five, so the fact that Gear VR has lens correction for different vision can be taken as a big plus. People with a vision of minus twenty can safely use glasses, but in any case, you need to try, as it will be for you, let yourself get used to at least five minutes.
If you turn your head, then the glasses will still move back a little. Correction goes astray, sharpness goes away, the picture becomes a little blurry. The way out is in a tighter fit of the harness on the head, then this will not happen. Here everyone chooses one thing, comfort or picture quality.
If desired, you can connect to glasses Charger, they have a microUSB connector, then your smartphone will be charged first, then the built-in battery. It is needed for the fan, sensors that track that you are wearing glasses, and also move your head. In principle, the built-in battery will easily last for 5-6 hours of operation, as well as the phone battery will last for this time, but I have never been able to verify this in practice. My maximum time with the glasses was just under an hour, I was watching a Cirque du Soleil movie, it was like a three-dimensional performance where you sit in the center of the stage, and the show itself takes place around you. An unusual point of view and a good performance, by the way, it is called Kurios.
Goggles are easy to manage, you can turn your head and the cursor follows your gaze, hold on to the desired item and it opens. You can exit by pressing the Back button, it is on the right side of the glasses, there is also a touch pad, you can select items with it, double tapping is the selection of the desired item.
The phone has a special application that starts automatically as soon as you insert the phone. Before that, it needs to be unlocked (surprise, surprise), but most importantly, you need to download all the software updates, they come out with a fair amount of frequency, and sometimes it's annoying, you want to plunge into the virtual world, but instead - a few minutes waiting for updates.
Even a schoolboy can handle the settings, there is nothing complicated. There is a lot of free stuff in the app store, these are all kinds of walks in inaccessible places on earth, beautiful 3D photos (my favorite section), movies and games. Virtual reality glasses are perceived by many as gaming, but my children, having spent several days with them, quickly got tired, while there are no such toys that would capture and force them to immerse themselves in this invented world without a trace. For obvious reasons, it is difficult to show the capture of an image from glasses, but simply giving a two-dimensional image is stupid, it does not convey sensations. But I will say this, toys do not yet capture the imagination, although I know several fans of this kind of devices, they think exactly the opposite.
For people with a weak vestibular apparatus, all such glasses are contraindicated, the head will be spinning. Ten minutes and I already want to take them off. Therefore, the more movement in the game, the worse you will be. The quieter the scene, the longer you can sit in these glasses.
For those who want to watch a video about how the glasses work, I offer a summer video about Gear VR Innovator, get a complete picture, there are no differences.
There is already a lot of content for such glasses, more and more of it appears every day. In Moscow shopping centers, cunning people have put points where, for 200 rubles, they give you 10 minutes to use virtual reality glasses. It's not worth it, but you can get an idea of what it is. Somewhere even Gear VR of the first generation slips through, although these are usually alternative solutions.
Would I buy Gear VR or other glasses? Probably not. These are still experiments that are at an early stage. As a gift, such virtual reality glasses are ideal, this is something that you will never buy for yourself, but it is nice to receive such a gift as a gift. The price of Gear VR at 8,000 rubles is rather big, but quite in the market, and for this money you buy the most advanced device at the moment. The same Oculus will cost a little more, but it will also become more functional, in any case, the rumors say just that. Rumors, however, say that Samsung may become the manufacturer of these glasses. But to buy or not, it's up to you. It is possible that you will consider other scenarios for these glasses, find out how to use them. And if you already know, then share in the comments, suddenly there is something that we don’t know about.
Samsung Gear VR virtual reality glasses are an expensive technological toy developed by the Korean company Samsung together with Oculus VR. They are completely autonomous and do not require a connection to a computer. Unfortunately, bad things happen, and if your Gear VR glasses don't work, don't rush to carry them in. service center. Sometimes the reason for their inoperability lies in the wrong settings. What to do in this case? Now I'll tell you!
1. Keep in mind that to work with Samsung Gear VR virtual reality glasses, your smartphone must be at least half charged.
2. Check that any GEAR application you are using must be updated to the latest latest version, as well as the software of the phone itself.
3. Pay attention to the fact that the smartphone must be correctly placed in the holder. Otherwise, the Samsung Gear VR glasses will not work.
4. Sometimes the cause is simply a malfunction of the device. Try restarting your phone and connecting to Samsung glasses again.
5. There are a number of applications that must be active for virtual glasses to work. First of all, these are the com.facebook.system and com.facebook.appmanager applications. Check that they are not forcibly disabled.
6. Recently, many users began to complain that the gyroscope does not work on Samsung Gear VR. Sometimes restarting the phone right in the helmet helps.
7. Sometimes the reason for the failure of the virtual reality helmet is a banal overheating. It is solved by installing an additional cooling device from Aliexpress.
Note: Separately, I want to add a few lines about compatibility. Samsung Gear VR glasses are only compatible with "S" and "Note" phone series: samsung galaxy S8/S8+/S7/S7 Edge/Note5/S6/S6 Edge. The A and J series are not working yet.
Play in a swivel office chair
While the Samsung Gear VR isn't as powerful as its Samsung counterpart, the Gear VR has one big advantage: it's wireless. You just have to take advantage of this and play in a comfortable chair.
Avoid lens fog
Samsung has solved most of the technical problems with the Samsung Gear VR, but until someone invents an amazing lens coating that has an anti-fog effect, it seems that fogging will be a problem in every VR headset. After the game, the fog will disappear on its own for a while (this is caused by the temperature difference between the lenses and the phone), but you can also take matters into your own hands.
There are many chemical products available for cleaning plastic spectacle lenses and sunglasses that will help us. 2 products helped me - Clarity DEFOG and Jaws Quick Spit, but I recommend the latter simply because it is much cheaper. It costs about $6 a bottle on Amazon and lasts at least 200 uses. Before jumping into VR, simply spray a little on your finger, rub into each lens, wipe off excess, and enjoy fog-free virtual reality.
Keep your glasses clean
There is nothing more annoying than connecting your phone, headphones, gamepad, attaching a headset to your head and realizing that the view is obscured by a layer of dust ...
I always keep a can of compressed air handy to blow off dust on both sides of the lenses before using the headset. In addition, I try to always keep my glasses clean.
Download Apps Before Using Gear VR
Overheating was a major problem with the Gear VR Innovator Edition in 2014, but the consumer version has almost completely eliminated that problem. The only time I ran into it was when, while wearing the headset, I queued up a few apps to download and played something else while installing them.
The Samsung Gear VR puts quite a bit of strain on the phone, so it's not surprising that it overheated. To avoid such problems, I advise you to download from Oculus App store before entering the game or using other features of the glasses.
Get an Android compatible gamepad
You may be aware, but some of the best Samsung Gear VR games require a gamepad, while others provide a better experience with one.
I liked the Steelseries Stratus XL (left), but not everyone is willing to add $70 to the cost of the kit. For those looking to save money, the Moga Hero Power (right) is $28.
Use headphones
Virtual reality is largely a visual experience, but don't underestimate the impact of sound. Thanks to the sound accompaniment, a deeper sense of being in another place is born.
The Gear VR can stream game audio through the phone's speakers, but it makes for a rather mediocre immersion. Therefore, buying yourself a pair of high-quality Sennheiser Momentums headphones, which you can see above, will not be an extra step.
Determine your tolerance for motion sickness
Some people are more sensitive to motion sickness in VR than others, and some content is more likely to cause more motion sickness.
Luckily, Oculus has taken care of this more than other companies and has included comfort ratings in the Oculus Store, categorizing content as: “friendly for most”, “friendly for some”, or “friendly for few”. Compare your reaction to each app category and guard against those that don't fit your tolerance level.
Samsung Gear VR is a virtual reality headset made in collaboration with Oculus. The equipment gives you access to movies, games and other content that we can "go into" to get a full 360-degree view.
Virtual reality with Samsung Gear VR glasses
The glasses themselves are a fairly simple device. The most important design element is the set of lenses through which we see the screen of the phone. In our case it was samsung screen Galaxy S6 as tested by Samsung Gear VR Innovator Edition for S6. Samsung also offers a version dedicated to smartphones Galaxy Note 4. There are differences in the phone mounting system.
Samsung Gear VR device and connection
The lenses are made of plastic. The parts in contact with the skin are made of soft foam, and in some places of leatherette. The device has a small touchpad, back button, volume and focus controls. Samsung Gear VR glasses do not have their own battery, so they use the smartphone's battery. However, you can connect a charger, there is a micro-USB port for this.
The equipment can also be used with headphones, but they are connected to the socket on the smartphone, although this is not particularly necessary, the sound from the phone's speakers is enough for operation.
The smartphone is connected to the USB port on the glasses and placed in special mounts. Gear VR has a sensor that detects when the glasses are being used. After putting the equipment on the head, the Oculus Gear VR application automatically launches, and we immediately begin to immerse ourselves in virtual reality.
Features of using Samsung Gear VR glasses
Compatibility with diopter glasses was immediately checked. Users with vision problems also have the opportunity to use this device. Unfortunately, there is not much space inside the Samsung Gear VR, and therefore it will be very difficult to put the device on top of the glasses (if possible), so it is preferable to put on lenses or move the device further to the tip of the nose, but such viewing is unlikely to be fully enjoyable.
Virtual reality glasses are very comfortable to use. Foam in contact with the skin is soft and pleasant to the touch. Gear VR has a significant adjustment range, so the device easily adapts to the head. More importantly, the device completely limits the penetration of light from outside, this increases the effect of complete immersion in the virtual world.
The Samsung Gear VR is excellent at reading head movements, and during testing it never happened that the glasses misunderstood the movement. If such problems suddenly appear, you can calibrate the device without removing it from your head. Unfortunately, all screen pixels are visible to the naked eye, which affects the image quality. Even the QHD resolution (1440×2560 pixels) of the Samsung Galaxy S6 can't help here.
Samsung has provided a very interesting option - built into the pause menu. If you need time to return to the real world, but it is inconvenient to take off your glasses, then there is an opportunity to get an image on the screen from the main camera of the smartphone. As a result, everything that is in front of us is visible.
Samsung hasn't forgotten about notifications. They appear inside the virtual world in the form of small plates suspended in space. These are standard Android notifications that are a preview of messages or an incoming call. This allows you to immediately decide whether to leave the virtual world or let things wait.
Watching videos with Samsung Gear VR
First, it should be emphasized that 360-degree videos are not like 3D videos. A 360-degree video is an immersive image within which the viewer can look around and rotate. Stereoscopic 3D, in turn, creates a similar experience of space, as when watching 3D movies in a movie theater.
The most important news is that the Samsung Gear VR can play both types of video content, as well as combinations of both, such as 3D movies. What's more, the glasses also allow you to view the videos you've captured and uploaded. Simply move the files to the appropriate directory in the smartphone's memory.
Samsung Gear VR has two main video viewing apps - Oculus 360 Videos and Oculus Cinema. The first is used to watch movies. Initially, several examples are immediately available to us, among which there are both 2D and 3D videos. It's interesting, although the provided demos are short, but leave an incredible impression. The application also allows you to watch downloaded movies, the database of which on the Internet is already quite extensive.
The second app, Oculus Cinema, is for watching flat movies. The application imitates a virtual cinema, the picture occupies almost the entire field of view. Turning your head, you can even see the scenery of the cinema. Interesting is the opportunity to change them to a few more extravagant ones. The video can be viewed, for example, on the lunar surface or from the point of view of an ant on a smartphone left in the forest. The experience is amazing because the environment reacts dynamically to changes in the color and brightness of the film.
Theoretically, the Oculus Cinema app replaces the cinema. We can lay on the bed with Samsung Gear VR + headphones on our heads and go to the movies without leaving home. However, such a system will become truly interesting only when the screen resolution of smartphones improves significantly.
The main app that you can use the Samsung Gear VR with is Oculus Gear VR. It starts automatically as soon as the glasses are put on the head. This is a kind of store with various materials.
Oculus Gear VR gives you access to many kinds of content: games, movie apps, 360-degree concerts, or movie trailers adapted for VR glasses. Some content is paid, but the vast majority is freely available. When we open the app without glasses on our head, it uses the most common design. But as soon as you connect Gear VR, it takes the form of a virtual room in which the menu floats in the air.
In terms of the quality of the material available, the movie trailers are the most impressive, especially Jurassic World and Avengers: Age of Ultron. The Cirque du Soleil Curios made the biggest impression. The choreography, costumes, atmosphere and the quality of the scenery are of an extremely high level. There is so much going on on stage that even after multiple viewings, you still find something new. Another good example is live recordings, including those of Paul McCartney.
Unfortunately, not all materials are made at such a high level as illustrated in the demo. Most of them are very simple, and it catches the eye. After a few minutes, the initial delight subsides due to the monotony and the absence of any meaning. Game content requires a Bluetooth controller.
Additional Samsung Gear VR Apps
In compatibility with various applications in VR, there is, unfortunately, a big flaw. As already mentioned, as soon as the Gear VR is on the head, the Oculus Gear VR automatically starts up, which does not turn off in any way. We cannot use other VR apps that Google Play now offers a huge variety. An example is the same Google Cardboard.
The problem with Gear VR is that the Oculus VR application launches automatically when the glasses are on the head. You can, of course, take detours. The smartphone can be inserted into the mount without connecting to the USB built into the glasses. It's physically possible, but the phone is placed on a slight slope and usually doesn't hold very securely in the clasps. This solution works well and allows you to view content, but it has its drawbacks. In this position of the smartphone, we do not have the ability to control the "action" on the screen. If, for example, we want to pause a movie, we must take off our glasses, take out our smartphone and simply press the pause button.
This is somewhat strange, because the ability to watch "spherical" materials from YouTube is almost a generally accepted standard. Too bad Gear VR doesn't allow that.
Samsung Gear VR and maze
Samsung VR glasses have also become a problem for the maze. Some of these materials cause dizziness and nausea in just a few seconds of viewing. Worst of all are dynamic games in which we look at the world through the eyes of a hero. Our eyes see a picture in which we supposedly move quickly, although at this time the body is just on a chair. The brain receives conflicting information and cannot deal with it. We tried for a long time to get used to this effect, but in two weeks it was not possible.
This unpleasant effect applies exclusively to the labyrinth. In most other materials, we can simply look around from one point. And viewing such materials does not entail any discomfort. Thus, Samsung Gear VR performs much better in movies than in games.
Outcome
That's the big question: Should you buy the Samsung Gear VR? On the one hand, the device gives something new, and virtual reality is something that simply needs to be seen. I think this is the future of entertainment. The first contact with the VR gearbox is simply stunning and I think there is not a single person who is not impressed by the device.
On the other hand, the equipment is very limited, and too expensive for what it offers. Samsung Gear VR costs about $250 and is a must have Samsung smartphone Galaxy S6. In addition, in this generating equipment, not everything is perfect.
The Oculus VR app contains quite a lot of content, but most of it is for a fairly short one-time enjoyment. Thus, after two weeks of fun, you can literally get acquainted with everything that the equipment offers. The salvation will, of course, be your own films that you can watch in VR.
However, don't forget about Google's offer, which is an interesting addition to all specialized solutions, including VR. I am referring to the universal Google Cardboard glasses that can be purchased for $10. The equipment is much less advanced, but it allows you to watch spherical films.
All in all, if you have a Samsung Galaxy S6 or Note 4 and don't mind the price of $250 for a few hours of entertainment, the Samsung Gear VR glasses are a great choice.
pros
- Amazing experience, never seen anything like it before.
- Impeccable reading of head movements.
- Large database of games, videos and other content available in the Oculus Gear VR app.
- The ability to watch videos that you shot yourself.
- Convenient control via touch panel.
- A lot of thoughtful little things, such as the ability to look into the real world using the smartphone's camera without taking off your glasses.
Minuses
- Individual pixels are visible.
- Inability to exit the main application.
- Lack of a headphone jack.
- Mixed gaming experience.
- Only a specific smartphone can be connected.