VR video is best experienced using a VR headset. There are a variety of different types of headsets ranging in price from the $15 Google Cardboard to the $600 Oculus Rift. VR head sets are typically casings that house your smart phone. A VR player (Youtube, Little Star, Vrideo, etc.) normally has a function to split the smart phone screen into binocular vision. Much like the way we have two eyes receiving two different perspectives, using a VR headsets and a binocular vision player creates an immersive experience that feels like you are actually part of the video. Our brains convert the two unique images into one for our minds to experience.
Here is a basic guide to 3 most popular vr headset options depending on your budget:
Google Cardboard
$15 – $20
This is the cheapest, entry level way to obtain a headset. Like the name this headset is literally made of a cardboard shell and a place to slip your smart phone. You can download different VR/ 360 apps from teh app store and place your phone in the viewing area to start experiencing vr video. Simply download various VR apps from the app store and insert your phone into the cardboard viewer.
Samsung Gear VR
$120
Gear VR is made by Samsung in partnership with Oculus and only work with certain models of Samsung smartphones. The picture quality is considerably better than Google Cardboard but this really depends on the plateform you’re using to watch the vr video. The headset is also much more comforable to wear and has adjustable lense focus points to sharpen the image displayed on the phone.
Oculus Rift
$599
Currently Oculus runs off of a PC and not off a smartphone. It is a powerful VR experience using this headset but if you don’t have the computing power then don’t bother. Oculus will begin shipping their consumer product (currently only the developer verison is available) between March and August 2016. You can order directly from their site.