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Cherry Mobile VR Review - Virtual Reality 101

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Once upon a time (Or precisely around mid 2013 to 2014) phone manufacturers have started to market flagships with displays beyond 1080p much to the bewilderment of even some enthusiasts because even at 720p, said screens are pretty much pixel free until you start to look at it from 50 mm or nearer (in which case, if this is your daily use case then might I suggest to you dear reader, that you stop buying smartphones for a while and invest in LASIK eye surgery). That and bigger resolution = more battery consumption.
Cherry Mobile VR Review - Virtual Reality 101
Cherry Mobile VR review

Then the advent of actual usable virtual reality (VR) glasses came about with the now popular Oculus Rift (It is popular with people that like tech enough) and Google’s own “DIY” solution which was called cardboard allowed smartphones to have virtual reality capabilities. Thank God the industry standard started moving up to 1440p and even 4K screen displays because at 1080p, the resolution that the user sees will remind anyone of the time when flagship androids shipped with 800 x 480 screens.

Today, we can find that nearly every consumer technology company, no matter how known or otherwise, a VR headset of sorts no thanks in small part to re-branding SKUs that has been a practice ever since the advent of dual core smartphones (or possibly even before that). Let’s see the Cherry Mobile VR glasses, in its full glory as compared with others such as Lenovo’s AntVR and Google’s own cardboard.

Cherry Mobile VR Specs

Compatible smartphone screen sizes: 4.5 - 6.5 Inch
Lenses: HD 42 mm Aspheric Optical Resin PMMA lens from Korea w/ 4 magnification, 
Others: Ergonomic design, lightweight, adjustable strap, PD & eye distance, external four directions adjustment functions, air vents for ventilation, 360 degrees Panoramic Video, 360 degrees 3D Immersive Games, 2nd Gen Bluetooth universal remote (compatible with Android and iOS)
Dimensions: 220 x 130 x 107 mm
Weight: 310 g
Price: 1,250 Pesos

Unboxing / Accessories

Simple carton box
Simple carton box

The packaging of Cherry Mobile's VR is very simple. It comes with a plain carton box that VR print outside.
Inclusion inside
Inclusion inside

The package includes: the VR itself, Bluetooth controller, straps, and cleaning cloth.

Build Quality / Design

Soft cushions here
Soft cushions here

The Cherry Mobile VR headset thankfully chose one that has cushioning that is actually more comfortable than Lenovo’s ant VR as this is a much needed feature for prolonged use. In actual use, the device looks like it fits a 5.7 inch screen at most rather than the advertised 6.5. In contrast, Lenovo’s AntVR is also all plastic, and has less adjustable lenses. It is, however, a lot more portable than the Cherry Mobile VR glasses.

As mentioned, because your phone is mounted inside a headset, navigating and interacting with it becomes more difficult. Cherry mobile VR solves this by being packed with a Wii-looking Bluetooth controller while Google’s cardboard uses magnets and lastly due to the ANTVR’s more open design, its usually much easier to just tap or swipe the screen while using that one (but it’s the least immersive one to use because it’s not sealed like Cherry Mobile’s).
Wearing style of Cherry Mobile VR
Wearing style of Cherry Mobile VR

Depending on which one you use, having a tool for holding your phone in front of your face while it isn’t in your hands opens up a variety of new ways to consume media. With VR, you can have a theater like experience while watching movies on your phone or online. With 360-degree videos, you can look around as if you are there yourself.
For a budget VR, did a fairly nice job. It's more comfortable to use than most generic VR sets in the market.
However, I cannot recommend any of these headsets for prolonged use, because it will become uncomfortable at that area on the sides of your upper gums (or whatever part of your face that the lower cushions will hit) if you are just sitting up and not lying down. This has to do with how the device was constructed as most of the weight is at the front of the device especially once you mount the smartphone.

Performance

Any VR headset for mobile devices at its core is a device that has 2 lenses with good eye distance, a way to “tap” and navigate the screen while being sealed inside the headset, and a place to mount and secure your phone on the front. Universally, the headsets have straps that act like a helmet to keep the VR headset in place. Both the Cherry Mobile VR glasses and Lenovo ANTVR have all of these but Google’s Cardboard requires your arm to support it because it doesn’t come with a strap (the cardboard itself can be acquired for the equivalent of php 150 in some places overseas however).
The Cherry Mobile VR glasses are fun to use.
Streaming 360 videos in YouTube and looking around will make you feel like you are in the video itself (of course you can’t see your body while looking down but hey, maybe in the future we can). It is recommended that you have an app like KODI which is a file manager app with the UI set up similarly to a smart TV and then use the controller that comes with the package to navigate around. Put some movies on the phone and have a blast. Try downloading ‘Insidious VR’ when using the Cherry Mobile VR glasses if you can (I dare you).

With gaming, a lot of games on the Playstore are for cardboard so it can be difficult or impossible to play with the Cherry Mobile VR glasses. If you have a phone that has a built in VR mode you can try playing any regular game and then control it with the wireless controller which works…or at least it should have in theory. In my experience, I tried the app called ‘Alto’ and it wouldn’t even register the tapping to start a game but within the game it works just fine so it can be immersion breaking (read; bothersome) to do depending on the app (but no one is stopping anyone to try). 

It will be perfect if you have some sort of Bluetooth game-pad made for actual gaming as the controller is a bit choosy on which app it would  work and where not to and it doesn’t help that our review  package didn’t come with a manual for that controller. It took me around 2-5 minutes to get used to the buttons (and which one does which). That and a lot of VR games will feel like product demos anyway. Most look like a prototype of an actual game, especially when it decided to get bugged on its own.

For beginners in VR and those looking for VR content, you can start with the cardboard app if you bought it and for everyone else there’s the app called “WEARVR” which makes a list of what are currently popular apps (both movies and games) just to get you started.

Also, some people that I’ve lent this for a spin experienced a bit of nausea or vertigo (that’s 4 different people). This is a common issue with some people apparently (I have not experienced this) and it is not limited to the Cherry Mobile VR glasses as even some of those trying out the Oculus Rift have reported something similar. Research on the long term benefits or bad effects with prolonged use of any VR headset has not reached any conclusion is still mostly unknown. Keep that in mind.

This isn’t really to scare anyone but just as with a lot of things we consume, use it in moderation. Besides, the product is uncomfortable to use for long periods as has been repeatedly stated throughout this review.
The Bluetooth remote control
The Bluetooth remote control

The future of this market segment relies largely on our own internet speeds and the phone that you’re using. Using Cherry Mobile’s virtual reality glasses provides heaps of fun especially with a “remote control” even if it does resemble a console controller at first glance. Streaming 360 degree videos at less than 1080p, however, will affect your experience negatively. Pixels are more obvious and would feel like watching VHS all over again. But trying to stream 1080p and beyond will just kill the experience for almost everyone as our internet speed is not capable of it most of the time (and trust me, it is worth pumping it all the way to smooth 4k streaming nirvana if my experience with the google cardboard is any indication).

Practical-wise, VR can be useful for people in the future. Even today, there is an app called “Virtual speech” which is a public speaking app that puts you in front of a virtual audience. This app even has the option to customize the slides that you’re going to use in. There are also educational 360 videos from discovery channel. Interactive VR museum tours, city tours, and as stated before, some researchers are using it as a diagnostic tool for people with eye problems (there are some that made eye exercise VR apps which are fun).

Pros - Comes with a FREE controller / remote, adjustable lenses, comfortable cushions, lightweight, budget IMAX solution, 360 videos provides smooth experience, competitive pricing
Cons - Gets uncomfortable after long hours of use, some people may experience nausea or dizziness while using this (and any other product like it), gaming with the included controller is a hit or miss depending on the app but nonetheless is immersion breaking when problems do occur.

Verdict

For the price, you can’t really go wrong with buying the Cherry Mobile VR headset. The lenses have a good amount of adjust-ability to incorporate devices of different sizes, the straps can be adjusted as well to better fit the face although because of the way that its designed, it gets heavy after prolonged use; it is a problem with any current VR headset. Also, my personal tidbit is you will get stares when you use it in public. It looks bulky and something like a gamer would use (hurray for easy public misconception).

But like the mentioned resolution bump ups on the smartphone industry’s products, you’ll never fully know the kind of benefit that it can eventually produce which provides excitement that, as a whole, has been missing with smartphones for a while now. For now though, have fun with 360 degrees of roller-coasters, Formula one racing, horror, music, and educational videos.

GIZ Rating: 4/5 Stars
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