The new Gear VR with Controller allows for enhanced virtual reality experiences and easier interaction.

Gear VR with Controller: A Hands-On Approach to VR Immersion

Featuring a refined design and a new, multifunctional Controller, Samsung’s latest Gear VR*, powered by Oculus, introduces more comfort and fun to the virtual reality experience, taking users’ immersion to entirely new levels.

Built to combine the functions of a gamepad and remote control, the standalone, motion-sensitive Controller adds comfort to the Gear VR experience by placing the device’s controls in the user’s hands rather than on the headset itself.

With a curved design, the Controller offers a natural grip for enhanced one-handed control. Its clickable touchpad and trigger allow users to easily navigate VR apps and virtual worlds with simple motions. Meanwhile, the intuitive layout of home, volume and back keys ensures easy access to the functions, so users can manage them while fully focusing on their activity.

In addition, the Controller offers better motion interaction with minimized arm and head movement for comfortable and prolonged use. And for those especially active moments, the wrist strap provides a secure grip. When finished with a VR session, the Controller may be conveniently holstered on the headset’s strap.

The Gear VR headset’s ergonomic design makes for a secure and highly wearable fit while its expansive field of view (101 FOV) helps to minimize users’ motion sickness so they can enjoy immersive visuals for longer periods of time.

Furthermore, Gear VR users will never get bored as there are hundreds of diverse apps to choose from in addition to a newly added social VR party service that allows them to connect with friends to chat, watch videos and livestream games on social media.

* The new Gear VR with Controller is compatible with the Galaxy S8 and S8+; Galaxy S7 and S7 edge; GalaxyNote5; and Galaxy S6, S6 edge and S6 edge+. In addition, the Controller can be purchased separately and connected via Bluetooth to compatible Samsung smartphones to work with previous versions of the Gear VR.

On August 17, fans from over 50 countries put on their Samsung Gear VR headset to witness the spectacular sights and sounds of Coldplay’s ‘A Head Full of Dreams Tour,’ live from Soldier Field Stadium, Chicago. The concert’s full 360 VR broadcast gave Samsung Gear VR users around the world an immersive viewing experience that has never been seen before.

Samsung’s VR Live Pass project kicked off June 3 at UFC 212, where the highly-anticipated featherweight clash between Jose Aldo and Max Holloway was broadcast live in VR, marking the first live VR broadcast event for Samsung and the UFC. The project continued in July at X Games 2017 in Minneapolis, where adrenaline-filled BMX and skateboarding competitions featuring the likes of Chad Kerley, Jagger Eaton and Jimmy Wilkins were also broadcast live to Gear VR users.

Coldplay’s concert in August was the final destination for Samsung’s VR Live Passproject in 2017. Samsung held a number of special viewing events across multiple countries, including Canada, Brazil, and the United States, leading up to the Live Nation concert to help drive user engagement for the momentous event.  

At Samsung 837 in New York, Coldplay fans donning Gear VR headsets enjoy an immersive, 360-degree concert experience

Samsung showcased the 360 VR broadcast in locations around the world, including its Galaxy Life Montreal interactive space in Canada

Fans take in the spectacular show while relaxing on the lawn at The Americana at Brand in Los Angeles

Coldplay and the Gear VR make for a memorable date for a couple viewing the show at Kinoplex Itaim in São Paulo, Brazil

Samsung’s VR Live Pass marked a special moment in time for the industry, as Gear VR owners were able to strap on their headsets, connect to the Samsung VR app and enjoy world-class entertainment as if they were there in the front row, regardless of their actual physical location.

Gear VR users who were unable to catch these events live can still enjoy replays and highlights from them through the Samsung VR app and the Samsung VR website until the end of October 2017.

From left: Marc Mathieu, Chris Brewin, Jake Silverstein, Chris Milk

As the world’s largest gathering of creative, marketing and advertising professionals, Cannes Lions is not only an occasion to celebrate successful campaigns but also to discuss and debate hot topics, new ideas and emerging trends in the industry.

This year was no different, with virtual reality (VR) being a key theme of the event’s sessions, presentations and experiences.

Samsung was a major participant in the discussion, hosting a seminar held under the theme “VR Changes the View” on June 22. The seminar aimed to illustrate how VR and 360-degree video will reimagine the ways we express creativity, engage culture and experience compassion.

Samsung Electronics America Chief Marketing Officer Marc Mathieu moderated the seminar, which was attended by some 500 participants. Noting that VR is “the biggest thing since the creation of cinema,” Mathieu introduced some of Samsung’s current VR projects, including a 4D theater in Rio that brings Olympics fans up close and personal with their favorite athletes.

“It used to be that seeing was believing,” Mathieu stated. “But now it’s about the experience. Now, experiencing is believing.”

He then called upon industry leaders to discuss and demonstrate the power and potential of the emerging media in improving healthcare, transforming journalism and reshaping storytelling. Among them included Dr. Chris Brewin, Professor of Clinical Psychology at University College London, Jake Silverstein, Editor in Chief of The New York Times Magazine, and Chris Milk, Founder and CEO of Within and Founder and Creative Director of Vrse.works.

Virtual Reality Therapy

Dr. Chris Brewin was the first to share his insights, discussing some of the studies he and his team have partaken in to determine the effects of VR on depression, including those involving Avatar Embodiment.

This method, which has emerged from neuroscience and computer science, allows viewers to self-identify with an avatar by experiencing the world from the avatar’s perspective via a VR headset.

Embodiment has already been shown to produce changes in attitudes that reflect the virtual body being used. Brewin believes this virtual reality-powered technique could potentially enhance Compassion Focused Therapy, a technique in which patients imagine interactions with compassionate people who provide protection, reassurance or soothing.

“What we are seeing here is one of the first generations of mental health intervention that is going to use the unique opportunity of virtual reality,” Brewin stated.

The professor explained that preliminary experiments have been effective in boosting feelings of self-compassion and improving levels of depression by one-third. Although results are not conclusive, Brewin said that VR seems to be the most likely explanation, adding, “In our future work, we want to translate this initial proof of concept into a proper therapy.”

A Fresh Perspective

In addition to helping people regulate negative internal emotions, VR is also creating a sense of presence in journalism to transform people’s perspectives about the world around them.

Jake Silverstein explained how by showcasing the various ways The New York Times Magazine is implementing virtual reality.

The company’s first venture into the new medium was NYT VR, an app that puts readers at the center of the magazine’s biggest stories through immersive 360-degree video experiences. At the app’s launch, the publication distributed cardboard VR viewers to all one million of its home delivery subscribers to debut its first film, creating a “mainstream moment” for virtual reality.

Through its efforts, the company was able to generate in its readers a sense of presence, an industry term that refers to the sensation of being in a scene depicted by a medium such as VR. This presence, Silverstein believes, will allow people to more deeply understand the people, places and experiences in their lives.

Other examples of the ways the magazine is enabling its readers to experience presence include films that transport them to American presidential campaigns, to the top of the World Trade Center in New York and even to the icy surface of Pluto.

“VR is a brand new medium,” Silverstein said. “And the opportunity to forge a new part of the language is there for every person, every brand and every creator who picks up a camera.”

The Changing Language of Storytelling

Finally, Chris Milk, one of the leading lights in the field of virtual reality storytelling, discussed the progression from thinking away from a screen and stepping into a story.

“Storytelling in virtual reality is about putting people within a story. To make all of you the hero of these stories,” Milk explained. “No longer are we looking at external worlds and realities through rectangles on walls.”

Milk and his team are building the technology and content that are making VR accessible to the masses. In doing so, they are subsequently rewriting the rules of entertainment, all the while reshaping the ways in which we connect and communicate.

“VR will be the democratization of human experience much in the same way that the Internet led the democratization of information,” Milk noted in his presentation.

In the meantime, he says, the companies are focusing on working with some of the most talented creators across all industries to help shape how VR can be “the next gold standard for storytelling.”

The entire seminar audience simultaneously experiences virtual reality—a first at the Cannes Lions festival.

Extending its leadership in the wearables category, Samsung Electronics India today announced the launch of the mobile virtual reality headset – Samsung Gear VR. Introduced in association with Oculus, users can enjoy a ‘next level’ mobile entertainment experience with a robust selection of 2D and 3D videos, immersive gaming across genres, 360 degree video and experiential content on their Gear VR.

Compatible with Galaxy smartphones, including the Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6 edge+, S6 and S6 edge, Gear VR will leverage each device’s super AMOLED display & resolution to provide the colour, clarity and performance needed for an amazing virtual reality experience.

Mr Manu Sharma, Director, Product Marketing, Samsung Electronics India said, “The Gear VR presents the unique opportunity for consumers to get an immersive, interactive Virtual Reality experience. Samsung will be at the forefront of this exciting revolution to create further ‘wow’ moments in our consumers’ lives.”

Intuitive design

Built with soft, flexible cushioning and lightweight materials, the Samsung Gear VR is comfortable to wear. Ergonomic adjustable straps make the VR extremely easy to wear and use. The Gear VR also comes with an embossed marker in the centre of the touchpad for quick orientation.

Immersive viewing experience

The Samsung Gear VR delivers Virtual Reality on the go that shifts the bar for immersive mobile entertainment. This unrivalled viewing experience is powered bythe Super AMOLED display of the Galaxy smart phones boasting of vivid, lifelike images with high pixel density,96 degree wide field of view allowing users to have an extremely immersive viewing experience. The Gear VR is crafted in a way to provide reduced motion blur and therefore less or no dizziness.

Convenience and Connectivity

The Samsung Gear VR uses the Galaxy smartphones for optimum mobility, consumers can use the VR anytime and anywhere without having to resort to cumbersome cables. The VR is also equipped with a Pass-Through feature that allows users to stay connected with the real world, getting notifications of incoming calls or messages.

Rich Content

Consumers can play and experience over 150+ games and apps on the Samsung Gear VR. This growing list of content can be downloaded from the Oculus Store. Games, covering a wide variety of popular genres, can be experienced in a completely new way by making the user believe they are actually inside the game. Consumers can also pair the Gear VR with a game pad to optimize the gaming experience for games with complicated controls. Samsung Gear VR is consumer’s perfect movie partner, with options such as Cinema, Multi-Screen and Home Theatre that virtually scale up the experience of regular 2D & 3D videos to the level of a Movie Hall. Travel fanatics can also take 360 degree virtual tours of some of the most exciting places on earth. Samsung has additionally launched special VR Apps for users. The VR Internet Browser allows the user to browse the internet and enjoy content in the scaled up Cinema mode. The VR Gallery app makes the phone gallery, containing the user’s photos and videos, available for viewing in the larger-than-life VR.

Samsung Gear VR will be available across all Samsung’s retail channels at a price of INR 8,200. Flipkart is the Online partner for Gear VR.

Samsung Gear VR Product Specifications

*All functionality, features, specifications and other product information provided in this document including, but not limited to, the benefits, design, pricing, components, performance, availability, and capabilities of the product are subject to change without notice or obligation.