Taking a tour out of the box: A Comprehensive Guide on How to Use VR Headgears

Taking a tour out of the box: A Comprehensive Guide on How to Use VR Headgears
Taking a tour out of the box: A Comprehensive Guide on How to Use VR Headgears

What is VR?

VR, short for virtual reality, allows people to be fully immersed in a fabricated environment. This is usually (but not always) delivered through head-mounted hardware that tracks a person’s movements. These VR headsets consist of a screen (or two display panels, one for each eye) housed in a frame (or headset) strapped or fitted to your head. A pair of lenses are typically fixed between the panels and your eyes, blocking the outside world, to make it appear as if what you see through the headset is your entire world.

Critically, all headsets track your movement so the image you see adjusts accordingly. Some headsets, however, track more movement than others.

In most cases, VR experiences will also have a method for you to control or select things within the simulated environment. Sometimes you’ll have a controller in each hand to control aspects of the experience. In some cases, the controllers deliver virtual representations of your hands to manipulate the environment and objects within it in ways similar to the real world.

Virtual entertainment has changed the way we enjoy watching movies, playing video games and only recently, going to an online casino. As for the hottest gears, the most popular brands so far are the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift headsets.

Anything else?

Taking a tour out of the box: A Comprehensive Guide on How to Use VR Headgears
Taking a tour out of the box: A Comprehensive Guide on How to Use VR Headgears

To make the most of your experience though, you need to learn a few helpful tips on using this latest gaming accessory. So before jumping into the world of virtual reality, let us give a rundown of the most essential things to bear in mind.

Specs: What’s the model of your smartphone?

The specs of your smartphone unit play a very important role in this new craze. First of all, not all smartphones are compatible with each VR headgear. For example, Google cardboard box only works with Android phones under Jelly Bean OS and higher or 4.1+ versions of Android OS. As for the latest Samsung Gear VR, you need to have at least a Samsung Edge S or S+ or the Galaxy Note 5.

Step 1: The setup

Assuming your Android phone passed the spec requirement and finally got your own headgear. Here’s where to begin;

Stick your smartphone unit to the headgear. Most headgears come with a designated tray or dock to fit your device.

Step 2: Installation

Taking a tour out of the box: A Comprehensive Guide on How to Use VR Headgears

Download the VR unit’s application specifically for the headgear. Google cardboard box app is available at the Play Store. Other headgears simultaneously launch the app as soon as you place your smartphone securely to their units.

Step 3: Shop for games

  • Check Google Play for Android apps featuring VR compatibility.
  • Google Cardboard box has a wide range of apps that actually work for the same.
  • Take advantage of anything you can get at the Play Store if bought one of Google’s VR Kit.
  • Did you know that you could also watch YouTube videos in 360 degrees under the #360video search? That’s great value for money supposing you only availed the very humble cardboard box instead of the more expensive counterpart.
  • As for Samsung, users will have a swell time looking at their photos in 3D while also getting a lot more from Samsung’s VR gear webpage.

Step 4: Watch and listen

One of the best parts of an immersive virtual experience has to do with satisfying your auditory senses. Don’t you think it’s time to finally get a much more powerful pair of earphones? Only you will know once you step into this whole new dimension.

Amanda Sanders

Amanda is a Sydney-based blogger. She is passionate about innovation, great Android design, technology and new gadgets. Her favorite quote is “No matter what. I wouldn't let anyone change me. I wouldn't let them strip away whatever tiny parts of me were human. Assuming I had any humanity to lose.”

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