The Samsung Gear VR is a
virtual reality headset
A virtual reality headset (or VR headset) is a head-mounted device that provides virtual reality for the wearer. VR headsets are widely used with VR video games but they are also used in other applications, including simulators and trainers. VR ...
developed by
Samsung Electronics
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (, sometimes shortened to SEC and stylized as SΛMSUNG) is a South Korean multinational corporation, multinational electronics corporation headquartered in Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, South Korea. It is the pinnacle of ...
, in collaboration with
Oculus VR
Reality Labs is a business of Meta Platforms (formerly Facebook Inc.) that produces virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) hardware and software, including virtual reality headsets such as Quest, and online platforms such as Horizon ...
, and manufactured by Samsung. The headset was released on November 27, 2015.
When in use, a compatible
Samsung Galaxy
Samsung Galaxy (, stylised as SΛMSUNG Galaxy since 2015 (except Japan where it omits the Samsung branding), previously stylised as Samsung GALAXY; abbreviated as SG) is a series of computing and mobile computing devices that are designed, m ...
device acts as the headset's display and processor, while the Gear VR unit itself acts as the controller, which contains the
field of view
The field of view (FoV) is the extent of the observable world that is seen at any given moment. In the case of optical instruments or sensors it is a solid angle through which a detector is sensitive to electromagnetic radiation.
Human ...
, as well as a custom
inertial measurement unit, or IMU, for rotational tracking, which connects to the smartphone via USB-C or micro-USB. The Gear VR headset also includes a touchpad and back button on the side, as well as a proximity sensor to detect when the headset is on.
The Gear VR was first announced on September 3, 2014.
To allow developers to create content for the Gear VR and to allow VR and technology enthusiasts to get early access to the technology, Samsung had released two innovator editions of the Gear VR before the consumer version.
Overview
The Samsung Gear VR is designed to work with Samsung’s flagship smartphones. Currently supported are
Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge, Galaxy S6 Edge+,
Samsung Galaxy Note 5
The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 ( stylized as SΛMSUNG Galaxy Note5) is an Android-based phablet designed, developed, produced and marketed by Samsung Electronics. Unveiled on 13 August 2015, it is the successor to the Galaxy Note 4 and part of the Sa ...
,
Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 Edge,
Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+,
Samsung Galaxy Note Fan Edition
The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is a discontinued Android-based phablet designed, developed, produced and marketed by Samsung Electronics. Unveiled on 2 August 2016, it was officially released on 19 August 2016 as a successor to the Galaxy Note 5. I ...
,
Samsung Galaxy Note 8
The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is an Android-based smartphone phablet designed, developed, produced and marketed by Samsung Electronics. The successor to the discontinued Samsung Galaxy Note 7, Samsung Galaxy Note Fan Edition and Samsung Galaxy No ...
,
Samsung Galaxy A8/A8+ (2018) and
Samsung Galaxy S9
The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ are Android (operating system), Android-based smartphones unveiled, manufactured, released and marketed by Samsung Electronics as part of the Samsung Galaxy S series. The devices were revealed at the Mobile World Co ...
/
Galaxy S9+.
The Galaxy Note10, Note10+, Note10 5G, and the Note10+ 5G and later are not supported by the Gear VR.
The focus can be adjusted using the wheel at the top of the headset. A trackpad is located on the right of the device, home and back buttons are located just above it. Volume can be adjusted through the volume rockers also found on the right-hand side. A USB-C port is located on the bottom of the headset.
Some of the major goals Samsung set for this project regarding hardware were that their headset could support MTP (Motion to Photon) latency less than 20 milliseconds; the optimization of hardware and kernel; and also, to create Galaxy Note 4’s QHD display that enables high-resolution rendering in the headset. The lenses field of view are 96° for the first three models
and 101° for the R323.
Oculus Home is the main facility to download and use content on the Samsung Gear VR. Oculus Home is also the main line for software distribution on the Gear VR. The primary appeal of the Gear VR is for mobile virtual reality-based gaming and simulations; however, recent interest is growing in the effective use of this device in science and medical education.
History
Although the Samsung Gear VR consumer edition was released in November 2015, Samsung had obtained a patent on a
head-mounted display
A head-mounted display (HMD) is a display device, worn on the head or as part of a helmet (see Helmet-mounted display for aviation applications), that has a small display optic in front of one ( monocular HMD) or each eye ( binocular HMD). An ...
(HMD) in January 2005. This was one of the first ideas of using a mobile phone as the display for an HMD. However, mobile phone technology at the time the patent was submitted limited the degree of quality and performance possible. Samsung continued to research VR and HMD internally.
With the release of the Galaxy S4 in 2013, Samsung formed an official team dedicated to developing a virtual reality-based device that would work with a smartphone. While this team developed multiple different prototypes, the performance and display (despite the Galaxy S4 having a Full HD display) were not yet up to standards. In 2014 Samsung partnered with Oculus (the creators of another well-known virtual reality device, the
Oculus Rift
Oculus Rift is a discontinued line of virtual reality headsets developed and manufactured by Oculus VR, a division of Meta Platforms, released on March 28, 2016.
In 2012 Oculus initiated a Kickstarter campaign to fund the Rift's development, af ...
) to help with the development. The Samsung Gear VR was unveiled during the Samsung press conference at IFA Berlin on September 3, 2014 (along with a smartphone capable of running it, the Galaxy Note 4).
Hardware editions
![Samsung GearVR - 2018 (41578196344) (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/Samsung_GearVR_-_2018_%2841578196344%29_%28cropped%29.jpg)
The first edition of Samsung's Gear VR, the SM-R320, was released in December 2014. This version was only compatible with the
Galaxy Note 4
The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is an Android smartphone developed and produced by Samsung Electronics. It was unveiled during a Samsung press conference at IFA Berlin on 3 September 2014 and was released globally in October 2014 as successor to t ...
. This edition was mainly released for developers so they could get an understanding of how the device worked and so they could create content which would be ready for the official release of the consumer version of the device. It also gave the chance for VR/technology enthusiasts to gain early access to the technology. The second edition of Samsung’s Gear VR, the SM-R321, was released in March 2015. This device supports only the
Galaxy S6
The Samsung Galaxy S6 is a line of Android-based smartphones manufactured, released and marketed by Samsung Electronics. Succeeding the Samsung Galaxy S5, the S6 was not released as a singular model, but instead in two variations unveiled and ...
and the
Galaxy S6 Edge
The Samsung Galaxy S6 is a line of Android (operating system), Android-based smartphones manufactured, released and marketed by Samsung Electronics. Succeeding the Samsung Galaxy S5, the S6 was not released as a singular model, but instead in ...
. A micro-USB port is also added, to provide additional power to the docked device, as well as a small fan inside to prevent the lens fogging.
The next edition, SM-R322, was simply referred to as the Samsung Gear VR. It was released on November 20, 2015. Pre-orders for the device went live on Amazon, Best Buy and Samsung on November 10, 2015, and the device was sold out on the day of release. This edition has again a few minor changes compared to the previous iterations. This edition supports six Samsung Galaxy devices so far: the S6, S6 edge,
S6 Edge+, Note 5, S7, and S7 edge. It is also 19% lighter than the previous Innovator Edition, it has improved ergonomics and a redesigned touchpad for easier navigation.
![Lucas Giolito](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/Lucas_Giolito.jpg)
The SM-R323 model was released alongside the
Samsung Galaxy Note 7
The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is a discontinued Android-based phablet designed, developed, produced and marketed by Samsung Electronics. Unveiled on 2 August 2016, it was officially released on 19 August 2016 as a successor to the Galaxy Note 5. ...
, and features minor changes, including an improved field of view, increased cushioning, a flat trackpad, and changes to the cover and body of the device to reduce glare. The model also utilizes
USB-C
USB-C (properly known as USB Type-C) is a 24-pin USB connector system with a rotationally symmetrical connector. The designation C refers only to the connector's physical configuration or form factor and should not be confused with the conne ...
connector instead of USB Micro-B so that it could be connected to the Note 7. The port is also capable of data transfer. Adapters are provided for use with older devices using micro-USB connectors.
On October 11, 2016, in observance of a
recall and discontinuation of the smartphone, the Gear VR was made incompatible with the Galaxy Note 7 for safety reasons.
An updated model, SM-R324, with support for the larger
Galaxy S8
The Samsung Galaxy S8 and Samsung Galaxy S8+ are Android smartphones produced by Samsung Electronics as the eighth generation of the Samsung Galaxy S series. The S8 and S8+ were unveiled on 29 March 2017 and directly succeeded the Samsung Ga ...
was unveiled on 29 March 2017, for release alongside the phone on 21 April 2017. Samsung also unveiled a handheld Gear VR Controller accessory, which is bundled with the updated model, and will be available as a standalone accessory for existing devices. It remains compatible with existing supported devices.
An updated model, SM-R325, with support for the larger
Note 8
The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is an Android-based smartphone phablet designed, developed, produced and marketed by Samsung Electronics. The successor to the discontinued Samsung Galaxy Note 7, Samsung Galaxy Note Fan Edition and Samsung Galaxy No ...
was unveiled on 15 September 2017, for release alongside the phone. Samsung also unveiled a handheld Gear VR Controller accessory, which is bundled with the updated model, and will be available as a standalone accessory for existing devices. It remains compatible with existing supported devices.
End of Samsung support
On May 11th, 2020, Samsung announced that it will be ending service for its XR applications. The service terminated as a whole on September 30th, 2020.
With the announcement 360° video uploads and premium video purchases were disabled immediately. Premium videos from the service were accessible until September 30th, 2020. The Samsung XR and Samsung VR Video clients also stopped receiving updates with the announcement.
On June 30th, 2020, the support for the Samsung VR Video app ended on Oculus Go, Oculus Rift and Oculus Quest and the app was removed from the
Oculus VR
Reality Labs is a business of Meta Platforms (formerly Facebook Inc.) that produces virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) hardware and software, including virtual reality headsets such as Quest, and online platforms such as Horizon ...
store.
On September 30th, 2020, all Samsung XR user accounts were disabled, and the according account information and data was permanently deleted from the Samsung XR service. All published videos were removed from the Samsung XR service. The Samsung VR Video app is no longer supported on Samsung Gear VR and Windows Odyssey. The app was also removed from the Oculus and Microsoft Mixed Reality stores. The Samsung XR mobile app is no longer supported on Android devices. The mobile app was also removed from the Galaxy Store and Google Play.
Oculus (now owned by
Meta Platforms
Meta Platforms, Inc., (file no. 3835815) trade name, doing business as Meta and formerly named Facebook, Inc., and TheFacebook, Inc., is an American multinational technology conglomerate based in Menlo Park, California. The company owns Facebo ...
) continues its support with the Oculus Gear VR app currently available from Google Play. The Oculus Gear VR Store allows Facebook users to download hundreds of Oculus Gear VR experiences, games, apps, entertainment, and more.
List of editions and smartphone compatibilities
Samsung Galaxy VR (SM-R325)
* Samsung Galaxy Note 9 (with adapter from Samsung) Galaxy Note9 is compatible with Gear VR model number SM-R325NZVC*** only
* Samsung Galaxy S10+
* Samsung Galaxy S10
* Samsung Galaxy S10e
* Samsung Galaxy S9
* Samsung Galaxy S9+
* Samsung Galaxy Note8
* Samsung Galaxy S8
* Samsung Galaxy S8+
Utilizes a USB-C connector and can be used with the below models using an adapter
* Samsung Galaxy S6
* Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
* Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+
* Samsung Galaxy Note 5
* Samsung Galaxy S7
* Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
* Samsung Galaxy A8
* Samsung Galaxy A8 Plus
* Samsung Galaxy A8 Star
Samsung Galaxy VR (SM-R324)
* Samsung Galaxy S8
* Samsung Galaxy S8+
Utilizes a USB-C connector and can be used with the below models using an adapter
* Samsung Galaxy S6
* Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
* Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+
* Samsung Galaxy Note 5
* Samsung Galaxy S7
* Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
Samsung Galaxy VR (SM-R323)
* Samsung Galaxy Note7 (initially)
Utilizes a USB-C connector and can be used with the below models using an adapter
* Samsung Galaxy S6
* Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
* Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+
* Samsung Galaxy Note 5
* Samsung Galaxy S7
* Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
Samsung Gear VR (SM-R322)
* Samsung Galaxy S6
* Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
* Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+
* Samsung Galaxy Note 5
* Samsung Galaxy S7
* Samsung Galaxy S7 edge
Samsung Gear VR (SM-R321)
* Samsung Galaxy S6
* Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Samsung Gear VR (SM-R320)
* Samsung Galaxy Note 4
References
External links
*
Oculus Gear VR StoreSamsung Press ReleaseOculus Press Release
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Mixed reality
Oculus VR
Products introduced in 2015
Samsung wearable devices
Virtual reality headsets