First of all, lots of Christmas thanks to my husband:
Expect a review in coming days, after I’ve had a chance to play with it. My first experience has been reading all of the warnings in the Getting Started Guide and the thicker Health & Safety and Warranty Guide included with the headset. My heavens. Page through and you’ll see bold lettering, “Warning!”, “Caution!”, “Important!” and sections with larger fonts. The contents include choice quotes such as these:
- “The foam cushioning may get dirty if your face is sweating while wearing the Gear VR. … Ensure that you keep your face clean and dry when wearing the Gear VR.”
- “Take special care to ensure that you are not near other people, objects, stairs, balconies, windows, furniture, or other items that you can bump into or knock down when using, or immediately after using, the Gear VR. Do not handle sharp or otherwise dangerous objects while using the Gear VR.”
- “Never wear the Gear VR in situations that require attention, such as walking, bicycling, or driving.”
- “Watching videos or playing games with the Gear VR may affect the visual development of children.”
- “We recommend consulting with a doctor before using the Gear VR if you are pregnant, elderly, have psychiatric disorders, suffer from a heart condition, have pre-existing binocular vision abnormalities or suffer from a heart condition or other serious medical condition.”
- “Just as with the symptoms people can experience after they disembark a cruise ship, symptoms of virtual reality exposure can persist and become more apparent hours after use.”
- “Ease into the use of the Gear VR to allow your body to adjust; use for only a few minutes at a time at first, and only increase the amount of time using the Gear VR gradually as you become accustomed to virtual reality.”
- “These post-use symptoms can include … excessive drowsiness and decreased ability to multi-task. These symptoms put you at an increased risk of injury when engaging in normal activities in the real world.”
- “A comfortable virtual reality experience requires an unimpaired sense of motion and balance.”
- “Take at least a 10 to 15 minute break every 30 minutes, even if you don’t think you need it.”
- “Do not use the Gear VR when you are tired, need sleep, are under the influence of alcohol or drugs, are hung-over, have digestive problems, are under emotional stress or anxiety, or when suffering from cold, flu, headaches, migraines, or earaches, as this can increase your susceptibility to adverse symptoms.”
- “Do not use the Gear VR while in a moving vehicle such as a car, bus, or train, as this can increase your susceptibility to adverse symptoms.”
- “The Gear VR may be equipped with a ‘passthrough’ feature which permits you to temporarily see your surroundings for brief real world interaction. You should always remove the Gear VR for any situation that requires attention or coordination.
So, as soon as I’m sitting perfectly still, with a freshly washed face, no headache or cold or alcohol, I should be ready to give this a very brief try.
I still think it’s going to be very, very cool. Merry Christmas, everyone!