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Vishal Mathur

Virtual reality headsets you can buy right now

The idea of virtual reality (VR) isn’t new. The ball started rolling as far back as 1960, when Morton Heilig patented the stereoscopic-television HMD for individual use and, two years later, patented a virtual reality (VR) simulator called the Sensorama Machine. This machine was equipped with sensory equipment, such as a binocular display, a vibrating seat, speakers, an air blower and a device that could generate odours to match the scene in the film. What we have today is technology that is far more polished (without the odours thankfully), and ready for much more than just watching a video. Here are some of the VR headsets that you can buy right now.

Samsung Gear VR

Rs.7,900

Samsungindiaestore.com

Once you are ready to use the Gear VR, the first thing to do is to sit down in a swivel chair and be ready for the 360-degree experience. Samsung has an advantage because this headset is powered by Oculus, which means users will be able to access the massive library of content—images, videos and games.

There’s a limitation though. While you can take a 360-degree view of things, you cannot touch anything, interact or even walk up and down the scene. The motion sensors in your phone detect your movements, and allow you to control the games and apps. The Gear VR uses the phone’s battery during the time you spend virtually walking the streets of London—30 minutes of watching 360-degree videos and photos gobbled up 19% of the Galaxy Note 5 Duos’ battery. The only niggle is that once the phone is docked into the headset, it will heat up even while viewing basic 360-degree photos.

There is no doubt that this is a really neat VR headset to own, and offers a really immersive VR experience. But the real value is only if you already have any one of the Galaxy Note 5 (Rs.51,400 onwards), S6 (Rs.33,900), S6 Edge+ (Rs.53,900) or S6 Edge (Rs.40,900 onwards) smartphones, or plan to buy one anyway.

Lenovo ANTVR

Rs.1,299

Amazon.in

Made by Chinese start-up ANTVR, this headset works with Lenovo’s smartphones, including the recently launched Vibe K4 Note (Rs.11,999) and the Vibe X3 (Rs.19,999). It provides a 100-degree video viewing angle and supports compatible Lenovo phones with screen sizes ranging from 5-6 inches. Basically, the dual lenses on the headset combine to give you what you see as an enlarged version of your phone’s display. The way the phone is placed in this headset, you can even control the apps with a finger. The ANTVR headset works with the help of software and hardware on the connected phone, including Lenovo’s TheaterMax software.

This headset takes its power from the phone’s battery, and after 30 minutes of watching 360-degree videos on YouTube, it registered just 11% battery drain. It is available in two colour options: black and white.

Zebronics ZEB-VR

Rs.1,375

Snapdeal.com

This is one of the rare VR headsets that is not restricted to particular smartphone variants (unlike Samsung and Lenovo’s offerings)—it is compatible with just about any smartphone with screen sizes of 4.5-6 inches. Just like the other two headsets, the phone in this too is cradled inside the headset, and the dual lens set-up combines to provide an immersive experience. It is compatible with all Google Cardboard apps as well as a lot of the third-party VR apps and games that are available for download on the Google Play store. The lightweight construction looks good; There are no rough edges.

At this price, the ZEB-VR headset could just be your ticket to experiencing the world of VR without having to buy a new phone.

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