Samsung and Oculus are making sure their mobile VR headset keeps up with Google's DayDream VR. The partnership announced a new version of Gear VR and it has a controller now. In fact, that's the major difference, with the headset itself getting marginally lighter and getting a few cosmetic tweaks. I got to handle the controller for a brief spell here at MWC, and while there were no demos to try, Gear VR's take on the mobile controller feels closer the HTC's Vive peripherals more than anything else. That's certainly no bad thing.
Gallery: Gear VR controller hands-on at MWC 2017 | 9 Photos
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The basic controls on Gear VR aren't all that different from Daydream VR: a trigger button on the rear, circular clickable touchpad, volume, back and home buttons. There's a kink in the controller body that makes it feel comfortable to grip and play with. As Oculus puts it in its press release the controller "lets you select, grab, take aim, and fire" and that's likely to be the real benefit for this new headset compared to previous Gear VR hardware. The controller offers a far more comfortable (and we suspect; responsive) way to play and interact with VR content -- now we just have to see what shape that content takes.
70 projects are apparently already in the works, and existing Gear VR wares will also play fine with the controller. For mobile VR fans, it'll offers some proof that entry-level virtual reality still has a future ahead of itself.
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