I am a VR head its safe to say,Since the launch of Gear VR I have taken quite an interest in the platform and its something thats interesting and with the ability to see things in a different perspective sure why is it not interesting.. To get that real immersive feeling you need the right tools, At a consumer level Merge VR have pulled it off in every way not only with looks but in all departments.
The consumer wins here you may ask why… Well lets look at Oculus,HTC and the likes you pay big money for the base product and that does not end there you need the hard-wear to back it up,we will need to purchase a laptop or PC that could fly a rocket into space to get the full functional experience of these headsets which again are cumbersome and heavy and over a long period of time your head will hurt. However there are new OEMs to the market with their own headset such as LG but Samsung still win the more favourable and immersive race at a consumer level price which can reach the masses,but the content lacks,to be fair it does all round in the VR race…Yes I have tried HTC Vive and Oculus here at some events they are indeed great but they will not have mass market appeal and the cost is for now too much…
Google-cardboard is one example of how they have mass market appeal,its cheap and cheerful but the overall experience is not overwhelming but it does give you an insight as to where we are going in the future,there is a multitude of offerings out there with many variations of cardboard viewers and now its a thing for companies to make their own and pass on to the consumer.. Not a bad thing especially for marketing as we now see many companies using VR as a tool to sell their product..
This MERGE VR headset though is unique in every aspect,from the design the thought put into it its looks and its feel,All of the headsets and viewers we see are solid be it either laminated cardboard or a universal type headset which are flooding the market now that is made of solid plastic and whats become the norm just black or white or both,This headset is which is uni bodied is made of foam,its soft to the touch with some components in the mix but when it comes to comfort you are in for a treat.
The packaging
We also have access to BOTH sides of the device be it for your USB cables,power cables and headphones,Yes you can argue we can use bluetooth headphones but hey not everyone has them and again for charging you can get caught out,i have several times and this issue is eradicated with the ability to charge while playing..
Also we have a removable piece on the front which allows the user to maintain camera functionality should you need it this is a clever idea and of course you do not have to use this but its there nonetheless I like the idea alot. We have tried several devices in the headset and they all fit comfortably and feel very secure which is important and with the protection here on this headset it is safe to say should you drop it your device will be fine whereas with other headsets I dont think the result will be the same,see the clip below.. ENOUGH SAID…
Wondering how durable the #MergeVR headset is? #mobilevr #yearofvr pic.twitter.com/SNJTfJA9w4
— Merge (@MergeVR) March 29, 2016
Using the headset is also a great experience,the level of comfort is great compared to what I have tried and some I own but remember we are progressing here in the industry so things will change I still like the other headsets I have they are early products and Merge VR have caught onto something before anyone else with their product and you cant blame them for that.. When it comes to long periods of use it remained comfortable since I test many apps and have featured them all here I spend a bit of time trying them out and my experience here was one of comfort and not one of constantly wiping the lens to see what I am doing which is annoying..Its soft on the face and the headbands are also comfortable too..
Like with many headsets we dont need a separate power source your mobile phone is you power so before use you would want to charge it but like the smartphone we now have quick-charging with this headset should you run low on juice you have access to charge it up and keep a power supply which is great,nothing worse than being in the middle of a good video or coaster ride and your battery dies….
The product
To get set up on this is quite simple with a webpage to type into your browser on your device,you do not need to use this particular page and surf for material yourself but this page has some amount of content to check out,Pin the page to your homescreen or place in a folder on your device,If you are interested in VR you should already have a folder called VR or similar. The page you need to check out is https://www.vrstart.com/ or just copy from here and away you go its that simple,the page is nicely presented matching the headset colour, Within the page you can pick from featured content,categories,A-Z,Popular or Paid content..
Overall this headset is fantastic all round for any age group due to its comfort level,functionality and safety it has it all and we would like to thank the guys at Merge VR for sending us this over again..
Order by clicking the image below
VIDEO REVIEW