Virtual Reality Mobile Apps Have Arrived
Do you feel any different? We feel different. That’s because the age of virtual reality if officially upon us following the consumer launch of Samsung Gear VR, the $99 headset compatible with the latest Samsung Galaxy phones. Pretty cool, when you think about it, that mobile phones are powering the VR revolution, at least until the launch of the Sony, Oculus, and Valve headsets sometime in 2016.
The reviews are pouring in and people are sure of one thing. When users are not throwing up or breaking lamps and vases while blindly flailing about their homes, the experience is magical. The headset is light enough, comfortable enough, and at only $99 (not counting the price of your Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge, Galaxy Note 5, or Galaxy S6 Edge+), it’s the best-priced VR solution on the market that’s not made of cardboard.
The Gear VR has only just released but it’s already sold out at most retailers, including Best Buy and Amazon. Like any new technology, we’re hearing stories of growing pains. Some users have reported if you leave your headset face down in the sun with the lenses facing out, the sunlight will be focused into what important scientists refer to as a “super hot laser” with the potential to damage your screen. That’s not really Oculus’s fault though, just like it wasn’t really Nintendo’s fault when all those kids started throwing their Wii-motes through their flat-screens so many years ago. If you don’t do stupid things, you should be fine.
Right now, content is sparse on the Oculus store. That’s where we, being app developers here in sunny San Francisco, are excited to play around with Gear VR. Hardware is only as good as software. There are a handful of entertaining apps, but the novelty tends to where off quickly. People want something to really dig their teeth into and it’s not there yet. Of course, this is only the beginning.
The current crop of standout apps touch on, what else, the potential of VR. Instead of putting you in the middle of a movie, Netflix created a virtual living room so you can watch movies on a virtual tv, which is weird, but whatever. The Oculus Arcade Beta brings to life a virtual arcade full of virtual arcade machines, so you can play classics like Pac-Man and Sonic the Hedgehog. Vrse is trying to become the first great VR media company, delivering experiences that range from a Syrian refugee camp to sitting front row for Jerry Seinfeld hosting Saturday Night Live.
The vast majority of these games and apps are free or under $5, so the pricing is consistent with what we see today in the Google Marketplace and Apple Appstore. But what will that first killer VR app be? We’re not quite sure. Until then, we’ll be brainstorming.
And with that, we’re out of here. Happy Thanksgiving from Appstem and all our mobile app developers to you, whoever you are.
