Gear VR has some good points going for it. It has some good VR games and experiences, Netflix, Hulu, YouTube VR among others. It may not have 6-DOF, but for some, it still continues to be used. But there are some updates coming to Gear VR that may impact some users. Oculus always wants to deliver the best games and experiences that they can, but they want to focus on the latest technology as more and more users get into the newer headsets such as the Oculus Rift, Oculus Rift S, and Oculus Quest.
The following changes will be going into effect soon:
- No new features will be added to the Gear VR.
- As of September 15, 2020, no new Gear VR apps will be added. But you can still use your Gear VR, use any apps that you may have in your library, and download any Gear VR apps from the Oculus Store as you normally would.
- As of May 30, 2020, Oculus 360 Photos will no longer be available for download for Gear VR (If you have this in your library, you can still use it).
- Oculus Video will no lover be available for downloading starting later this year (If you have this in your library, you can still use it).
- As of April 30, 2020, the films section in Oculus Video, including movie purchases and rentals, will no longer be available. If you did purchase any movies, Oculus should be contacting you to give you Oculus Store Credit equivalent to the cost of the titles you purchased.
- The Oculus Browser will no longer receive any updates. You can still continue to use the Oculus Browser, but certain social and recommendations features will no longer be available and some websites may not be compatible. Also, keep in mind that there may be an increased security risk using an out-of-date browser.
So if you still have and use a Gear VR, don’t worry, you can still use it and be proud to be a Gear VR owner even with the changes being made. And if you know someone with a compatible phone, let them know about the easy way for them to get into Virtual Reality and escape with their phone.
