Oculus Rift vs Gear VR is not exactly a fair competition and it has been long since I wrote a VR headset review.
The Oculus Rift is a PC VR headset and has a lot more involved in it with the Oculus Touch sensors and other accessories making the VR gaming experience way more immersive.
However, the Gear VR is the best when it comes to smartphone VR headsets and since both of them have been the best in their niches, let’s see which one is better. A smartphone VR headset or the Oculus Rift?
This post would clearly help you decide if you should go with the Gear VR or Oculus Rift as a VR headset.
It is more like a post where you decide what your needs are and which VR headset will exactly match with your VR gaming requirements and VR expectations.
Let’s begin with the basic differences between the two VR headsets.
Table of Contents
Compatibility
The Samsung Gear VR is compatible with Samsung phones and it is a smartphone-based VR headset where you need to insert your Samsung phone inside a VR headset and the apps on the phone take you into the VR world.
The headset just acts like the technology that converts your phone screen display into VR. The Samsung phones compatible with this VR headset are Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6, S6 Edge and S6 Edge+.
You can actually get some amazing offers in the Gear VR if you purchase it with a Samsung Galaxy phone, check out Amazon for the best offers when it comes to Gear VR.
Gear VR is a PC VR headset where you need relatively beefy PC specifications in order to run the VR headset and you could play the game wearing the VR headset by connecting the headset to the computer.
The PC specs required for this VR headset is 8GB Ram or more, Intel i5 and above and NVIDIA GTX 970 and above.
Weight of the VR headsets
The Gear VR is slightly lighter than the Oculus Rift without the phone, however, when the phone is inserted it comes to almost the same weight as the Oculus Rift.
Both these VR headsets weigh around 450 grams(with the phone in the case of Gear VR) and that is a pretty standard weight for VR headsets.
Are there VR headsets lighter than them? Not really.
Most of the smartphone-based VR headsets are around the same weight as the Gear VR, they can be a difference of 20 grams or so but the difference is not very significant.
Both the VR headsets are pretty amazing and if we are talking about offers, the Oculus Rift has some amazing offers as of now, they have dropped their prices for the Oculus Rift and touch bundle and by decreased prices I mean massive decrease, so do check it out now!
Wired or Wireless
The Oculus Rift is Wired and the Gear VR is wireless VR headset since you directly insert your phone inside the VR headset and that is all.
The Oculus Rift needs to be connected to the PC and that calls in for a number of wires which limit your movement while using the Oculus Rift.
There is another point worth mentioning here, the Oculus Rift can track your movements with the motion sensor but that is not the case with the Gear VR.
In the Gear VR, you can only control your movements within the game using the trackpad that is present on the headset.
You can easily combine a Bluetooth controller with the headset in order to play games non-stop for long hours.
So even if the Rift is wired, it does come with a full room tracking which is not the case with the Samsung Gear VR. However, in the defense of Samsung Gear VR, it does everything that a smartphone VR could possibly do.
Field of View
The Oculus Rift has a FOV of 110 degrees which is the maximum any VR headset has to offer in the market.
It is one of the best VR headsets and with the ongoing case, the price has dropped making it a more affordable option as compared to the Vive. However, let’s keep the Vive vs Rift bitching aside and focus on the FOV.
Samsung Gear VR has a FOV of 101 degree which is really an improvement over the previous Samsung Gear VR (2015 version)which had a FOV of 90 degrees.
The team Oculus has been doing everything to make the Gear VR one of the best smartphone-based VR headsets with compatibility limited to Samsung phones and we couldn’t thank them enough!
The Lenses
The lenses do have focal adjusters in the case of the Gear VR. The Gear VR comes with focal adjusters where you could adjust the lenses according to your needs. This is not possible in the case of the Rift.
However, you can set the Interpupillary distance in the case of Oculus Rift.
Gear VR does not let you adjust the IPD making it a minor setback. You could possibly wear glasses while using the Gear VR provided the frame is not too big.
Even the Oculus Rift allows you to wear glasses making it much easier for people who have corrective lenses. Both these VR headsets are flexible to people who wear glasses.
Oculus Touch
Rarely do we get to interact with objects in the game, while the Oculus Rift has the Touch controller through which you could actually interact within the game making the VR experience extremely immersive?
The whole point of VR is to make someone feel that they are in another world and the extent to which the Oculus Rift does it is incredible.
If you are ready to shell out $600 then you should go for the Oculus Rift along with the touch because they offer the best VR experience one can ever imagine.
There is no such immersive experience in the case of the Samsung Gear VR.
Oculus Touch is one of the best things that has made the Oculus Rift even more compelling and an interesting VR headset to buy.
Initially, the bundle of the Oculus Rift and the Oculus Touch cost around $800 but now they have reduced the price to $600 which is definitely worth it.
=> Read reviews on the Oculus Touch on Amazon
Conclusion
There is no way you can have a winner between the Oculus Rift and Gear VR, this post is just to give you an idea about the two best VR headsets we have in two different VR niches, one being the PC VR headsets and the other the smartphone-based VR headset.
Both are excellent VR headsets in their own niches and are relatively affordable compared to most of the other VR headsets.
The Oculus Rift is better priced now since the HTC Vive costs around $800 and the same VR experience is available for $600 in the Oculus Rift.
The VR experiences in both the headsets are amazing and it is worth the money. Do check out the Amazon reviews for both the VR headsets and also check out the related VR headset comparison pages.
Most of the times the best prices for the Oculus Rift and the Gear VR are available on Amazon so check out both the products and let us know which one you think is better.
Related Pages: Merge VR vs Samsung Gear VR, Noon VR vs Zeiss VR Headset.
In the case, you have any comments or questions then leave them in the comment section below and we would be happy to help.
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Hi Shrey!
I’ve always doubted between these two. Which one is the best? And your review clears out most of my doubts.
I’m a Samsung fan, and the fact that it’s wireless and comes with focal adjusters make me definitely go for the Gear, although it doesn’t give you that immersive experience… Well, I guess the budget also plays a role here 😉
Thanks for the thorough and honest review!
Wow, nice that you found the right VR headset for yourself. The post was intended to help those you are not quite sure as to which one would be the best choice for them! Gear VR is amazing in its own way and if you have a Gear VR compatible phone, there is no reason why you should not get a Gear VR.
Oculus Rift can be a little expensive and it does take some thought to spend that much money.
YES!
I love the fact that people are always improving on Tech.
I am a tech junkie and love all the new stuff.
I so have to buy a set.
To feel I am really at the beach without leaving my seat.
save my money and buy the new gadgets. I wonder if they have home and gardening tips through the software?
I just like to find new ways to improve my garden and I feel if I could have hands on learning from home that would be great.
I doubt if it is as precise as you are searching. I don’t think there is an app that would help you with gardening but I’m pretty sure in a few months they would actually come up with a software for that as well. They are already coming up with controllers that let you interact with objects and have different life like experiences.
It’s a good comparison review. It help me to understand which one should I buy. And the conclusion make it more clear that they are in the different type of devices so can’t be compared equally. Thank you to make this article. It helps me to understand more about the VR technology. It would be great if you put also some video reviews.
Glad that you found the post helpful.
Your comparison of these products is very informative and insightful. I have a Samsung phone and I was thinking of getting a VR for myself. Now after reading your review I feel that I have a lot more knowledge about the products. I guess the only question I have is why is the Rift so much more than the VR?
Rift is a PC VR headset and the Gear VR is a smartphone VR headset. Go through the review once again, you might see a few reasons as to why and if you still want a complete review then read the review on Samsung Gear VR and Oculus Rift.
Hi Shrey,
VR headsets are a lot of fun provided that you don’t knock into furniture or walk into a wall lol. I like Samsung products so it wouldn’t be hard for me to choose the Gear VR over the Oculus Rift.
The price for the Oculus Rift is still quite expensive when compared to the Gear VR. I’m seriously considering buying a VR headset after seeing a demo last week. Thanks for the in-depth review. I will definitely get the Gear VR.
regards
Cheryl
You do need to be careful while you have the VR headset on, perhaps clear out space around you so that you don’t walk into a wall and hurt yourself, LOL. The Gear VR is really good for someone who is interested in smartphone VR headsets. I’m glad that you found the post helpful 🙂
VR headsets are a lot of fun provided that you don’t knock into furniture or walk into a wall lol. I like Samsung products so it wouldn’t be hard for me to choose the Gear VR over the Oculus Rift.
The price for the Oculus Rift is still quite expensive when compared to the Gear VR. I’m seriously considering buying a VR headset after seeing a demo last week. Thanks for the in-depth review. I will definitely get the Gear VR
Hello there!
Great article, actually I have been dying to try virtual reality, I never tried that and would love to.
There are people who think that the Oculus Rift is way better than The Gear VR, they talk about resolution and practicality.
As a fan of Playstation, I wanted to buy my brother in law the virtual headsets but I couldn’t afford it.
Oculus Rift is the one I wanted to buy for myself as I see a lot of YouTubers use it to play games. When I saw the price is about €550 I didn’t buy it.
Thank you for your review and your website is great 🙂
Yeah, the rift is a little expensive, you can always buy the Gear VR if you are tight on money and if you do not have a Gear VR compatible phone then it is best to go for VR headsets like the Merge VR. Do look around a bit more on the site and you would find the best VR headset for yourself within a budget.
Hope this helps!
Excellent post and very informative. It seems like comparing the two is not really fair since one needs a very strong computer and the other basically needs your smartphone but very informative.
I hope you compare more in the future especially the ones that are coming out this year.
I’m looking forward to what Microsoft has coming out over Christmas.
Thank you for doing this is was really good.
Yes, there are many VR headsets that are coming out this year and it is really exciting to see so many different companies investing in the VR technology. I’m glad that you liked the comparison post and there are many others on the site so do check them out whenever free!
I had no idea there were so many options regarding Vr headsets until just recently. I was pretty excited about the Oculus Rift when I had first heard about it, but then I was even more excited about playstation VR. Uggghh but its cost was a huge deterrent considering the lack of games that are available
Are there more games available on the oculus rift? lol, I’m old enough to remember Nintendos failed attempt at a VR headset back in the 90’s, I would hate to spend $600 on something that is bound to flop.
would the samsung be a better option to feel out how modern VR operates do you think?
There are plenty of games now so it would be a little unfair to say that these VR headsets lack enough games, LOL.
I don’t think VR is going to flop now and looking at the progress VR has made within just a year is incredible. You have more companies now investing in this technology and it is one of the best investments in gaming that you can make.
Yes, you can always go with the Gear VR since they are way affordable in comparison to the PC VR headsets. Moreover, if you just want to get started with a VR headset then go for the smartphone VR headset in the beginning.
Cool! Thanks for the fast reply Shrey
Anytime Rob!
Hello Shrestha! I have read several of your pages on your website. I think what you write is easy to read. It is also very informative. I like the way you have organized the different topics. I also learned a lot about VR which I did not know before. I am also an engineer, so I know the feeling when you find something technical that you really want to know more about. 😉 I have only one idea for how to make your site even better and that is to add links to relevant youtube videos. But that is of course all up to you. Keep up the good work!
Thanks.
All the insight that you provide for each VR headset is amazing, I have seen very little about this kind of headsets, i’m just a little disappointed about the wired connection that the Oculus Rift has, do you know if there is something that compensates the limited movement it has? because I think that is great issue. But overall I think that is the only issue that I find in the Oculus Rift because it totally improves the gaming industry and it also has potential in other areas such as education.
Well if you hate the wires in the Oculus Rift you should look up at HTC Vive since it is really towards going wireless by the end of the year with the introduction of the TPCast. I think Oculus Rift is a relatively cheaper alternative to the Vive and you should definitely read the article on HTC Vive vs Oculus Rift.
If most of my VR viewing is 180° or 360° 3d videos and not processor demanding immersive gaming, is the Rift going to be any better than the Samsung Gear? More specifically, will the Rift’s screen resolution be any closer to true 1080p HD for 3d side by side VR videos?
Yes, the FOV in the rift is much better and the experience is obviously going to be better than the Gear VR.
The rest of the differences are mentioned in the post, hope this helps.