Oculus VR gaming is coming to consumers this year, sort of.
The Samsung Gear VR, announced this week as an accessory to the new Galaxy Note 4, is an Oculus Rift-style virtual reality headset that uses the Note 4 as the screen. Oculus calls it an "early-access, beta-version of the device for developers and enthusiasts rather than a final consumer product" that will be available this fall.
The Gear VR soups up your smartphone with an internal accelerometer and magnetometer for head-tracking, a touchpad for navigating menus, and built-in lenses that expand the Note 4's 5.7-inch 2,560 x 1,440 resolution AMOLED display into a 96-degree field of vision. What this means is that with only a mobile device and headset accessory, you can have a considerably polished virtual reality experience---if not as polished as what Oculus promises to deliver with the consumer version of its Rift headset.
Oculus will provide content for the Gear VR setup via an Oculus store. Makers of hit mobile games like Temple Run, Monument Valley and The Room already have pledged early support. Here's what you'll be playing if you decide to adopt early.
