The first word on the Oculus: overstimulation
The Samsung Gear VR is another entry into the category of “headset VR” hardware. If you’ve tried the Oculus Rift, the Gear VR works pretty much the same way – once you strap the device over your eyes, it uses your natural head rotation to “look around” a virtual environment. While far less expensive than its big brother the Oculus, the Gear VR offers both a more and less refined VR experience. The “less” might frighten some people away, but make no mistake, in an educational context, less might just be what you’re looking for.
NOTE: If you are new to VR, it may be helpful to read our post on the Oculus Rift VR headset as a primer. The Gear VR is actually powered by Oculus Rift technology, and as the the Gear VR offers similar affordances to the Oculus Rift, this post will focus on what makes it unique.
We don’t like to get too deep into the “how does it work” weeds here at LearnFirst, but the first important distinction between the GearVR and more refined headsets is that the device runs entirely off your phone.
Wait… Did You Say It Runs Off Your Phone?
Thats right – your* phone (* more on that later). And when you step back and consider that your phone (did we mention YOUR* PHONE) is capable of powering Virtual Reality experiences, you can’t help but come away a little awestruck. I’ll spare you the “back in my day bit” but the use of the phone gives VR a distinct advantage over its Oculus big brother – it is wireless. That might not sound like a big deal, the freedom from wires is a big deal for a lot of different reasons. It would not be practical to, for example, pass an Oculus Rift headset around a classroom, or use it at an off sight location. Those kinds of things are possible with the freedom of a device that is powered by your phone.
But even freedom comes with caveats, the most significant of which is that using the Gear VR requires a Samsung phone to power it (more specifically a Note 5, S6, S6 edge or S6 edge +). Depending on what phone you use (or what phones your students use) that could be a rather sizable restriction. You can work around this restriction by purchasing an unlocked phone to live inside the Gear, but obviously that increases the price of the package rather dramatically. Still, even buying a phone to pair with it affords you a more than serviceable VR experience for less than an Oculus and the computer needed to run it.
$99
Easily the biggest selling feature of the GearVR is that it represents an opportunity to bring home a semi-refined VR experience at an affordable price. It’s $99 price tag sits between the $20 Google Cardboard and the several hundred dollar expected $600+ prices for more refined VR options like the Vive or Oculus consumer release. Its not free, but considering its only twice the cost of your average phone case, its a pretty powerful peripheral.
The Control Pad
One of the biggest complaints with the developer releases of the Oculus Rift (and one which is being addressed in the upcoming consumer release) is the lack of interface options that come standard. The Gear VR has addressed these concerns with a headset mounted touch/ tap pad and back button, located over the right temple area and they are a huge addition. While these buttons don’t allow unlimited interface options, they do allow you to tap (for example to press a button) to swipe up and down and side to side (to navigate menus) and to go back (to navigate out of a VR application or back out of a menu).
These might seem like fairly basic interface options, but including them on the device is important for a number of reasons. First, it gives you something to do with one of your hands – the hands that you so desperately want to have a purpose when using a device like the Oculus. Secondly, it makes you more self sufficient as a VR user. Some people can operate a keyboard or controller without being able to see it. Most people can’t – which forces you to rely on someone else to control your VR experience. Not so with the Gear VR.
What Gear VR Is Really About
Its not VR. Or perhaps more accurately, its VR for the average user.
If you are an experienced technologist, a Star Trek fan or a VR purist, you’ve likely been reading this somewhat skeptically. Because
Really awesome words, extremely awesome words and then even more awesome words about this product which does things.
Our First Question
Can the Oculus Rift can help to support more engaging or realistic simulated experiences by reducing the interface barriers to entry?
Step Into A World: Zac Zidik explores a virtual classroom environment using the Oculus
But the question remains: what is the educational value of a device like this?
The Opportunity
But the question remains: what is the educational value of a device like this?
Imagine loading up a forensics science simulation and looking (*literally looking*) around the room for clues from the comfort of your own living room. Or giving a supply chain student the chance to walk a factory floor without leaving their classroom. Or giving an engineering student the chance to look around the inside of a fracking hole. And perhaps just as importantly these kinds of experiences could occur without the need for interface instructions. If you can put a headset on, you can use the Oculus.
The Challenge
In some ways, the dream of the Oculus as a more natural user interface device sounds too good to be true, but despite the potential, the device is not without its flaws. As a note, this review is based on the DK2 or developer kit version 2 – a pre-consumer release of the device (the consumer version is not yet available for purchase), so things may change. To begin, freedom begets the demand for more freedom. The ability to look around freely compels you to want to move through virtual spaces just as freely. But the Oculus is very much a tethered device with a lot of wires. You’ll find yourself wanting to move and turn around, but you it won’t take long before you get tangled in technology, which creates a very immersion breaking effect. You’ll also be very inclined to interact with such a rich world, but because the headset covers your eyes, you’ll find using a keyboard, mouse, or other traditional interface device very difficult (we recommend something a bit easier to navigate by touch alone, such as a joystick of video game controller). Perhaps most importantly though, while the Oculus can allow some very engaging experiences, it essentially requires game developer level skills in programs such as unity to create programs for, which can be a barrier to creating your own content.
Summary
The Oculus is an incredibly exciting device that generates some equally exciting possibilities for improving educational engagement in simulation activities. And its clear that the company is making strides in this, their second version of the technology. But while it is easy to use, that ease also serves to highlight some of the less polished aspects of VR, such as interfacing with objects or moving through virtual space.
Intrigued?
Are you interested in trying out the Oculus? Are there questions you have about the device or VR? Have you used it and would like to share your experiences?