VR is making a big come-back, since its last hey-days in the
90s when everyone thought it was 'the next big thing'. Whereas then it was all
about chunky headsets and special rings you had to stand in, these days VR is
as easy as sticking your phone on your face. Oculus Rift might be hitting the
headlines, but your smartphone is just as good, and since Google impressed us
all last year with the delightfully lo-tech Cardboard headset, other companies
have raced to produce their own sets. And so, we have a go on the Archos Virtual
Reality Glasses.
Able to take phones from 4.7 to 6 inch screens, the Archos Virtual
Reality Glasses features adjustable hinges on the front with can be squeezed in
to grip your phone and block out any other source of light. We tried ours with
a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 - a fairly large phone - and it fitted a treat. It is then
a simple case of adjusting the elasticised head straps to fit, and then
carefully pushing the two eye lenses one way or the other to centre on each
eye. Then you're sorted.
After that it is all down to your phone and whatever apps
you have installed on it. Fortunately there are already a tonne of VR apps in
both the Play Store and the App Store (but not from the Windows Phone store -
not really a surprise, that), ranging from playable games for which you do not
need a controller, to immersive experience apps that let you wander around
alien words, space stations in orbit, and through photo spheres in Google
Earth.
The Archos Virtual Reality Glasses are very comfortable to
wear for prolonged periods of time, and if you're anywhere as excited by VR as
we are, that is a good thing. Archos very helpfully give a pretty comprehensivelist of currently downloadable apps on their website, which is a great first
port of call once you're got your glasses.
One thing worth noting is that the Archos Virtual Reality
Glasses do not feature any exterior controls, unlike the Google Cardboard which
included a NFC-powered ring pull. This means that not all of the apps
"made for cardboard" will be compatible with the Archos Virtual Reality
Glasses, unless you have an external controller linked to your phone. However
we found that most of the apps which need controlling like this will also
accept input from something like a Bluetooth keyboard which can be added to
your phone, but it is worth checking out before you download the app - because
most VR apps are huge!
We really do love these things, and are really looking
forward to more and more apps flooding the marketplace in the next few months.
With the Archos Virtual Reality Glasses you know that no matter what smartphone
you are accessing VR content on, you'll be sorted.
£24.99
Visit www.archos.com/gb/