I finally gave the Gear VR a somewhat of a fair shake, and I'm pretty impressed with its functionality. You first need to have the Oculus app installed on your device, and then you need to set up an account. Some free VR materal can be accessed via the app, and you can purchase some as well (which I have yet to do). You can also access VR material over the internet with the built-in browser as well as access files from your device. I'd prefer to download files to my cell phone and access them from there so good for me.
Watching 2D movies simulated a theatrical experience as if the picture was "in your face" sitting rather close to the movie screen itself. The caveat is that while you feel that you are getting that theatrical experience, the picture quality is no where near as clear as a movie screen or a 1080p home theater setup. The image appears to be grainy in comparison. Maybe there is a way to increase pixel count or smooth out the image which leads to a potential design flaw.
The manual warns that your device can and will rise in temperature which will limit its funtionality. Yes, my cell phone felt rather warm to the touch after about 15 or 20 minutes of use while a message would consistant pop up warning me of such. in fact, there was a time when I saw the option of 1080p. I cannot recall the context, but when trying to access the 1080p option, I was warned that the option wasn't available due to the temperature of my device.
The VR experience was rather nice. You can look around, above, and below while interacting with the virtual environment with touch controls on the side of the VR headset. Just make sure there is plently of room around you so you have a fair amount of freedom to safely maneuver in a 360 degree motion.
I've always wanted to experience VR, but wasn't willing to fork out the cash to do so. But the Gear VR was free to me, and it was worth playing around with like any other distraction. So that's cool in and of itself, but I've already sunk money in other hobbies I have little time for. I'm keeping it for now so we'll see where this goes.
