This review will be comprised of two parts, the first will be the actual review of the device and the second will be explaining just a fraction of the huge number of ways you can use this device (for those interested).
Part 1: Device Review:
Build quality : This device is really sturdy and designed for long term use. I don't see any of the parts of joints giving way any time soon. The leather cushion is really soft and extremely comfortable thus allowing for long periods of usage. The elastic also is adjustable and fits snugly without causing any sort of discomfort. The knobs and dials and everything are top notch quality. The lenses seem really high quality with a good diameter and also come with a protector film and therefore are flawless and have zero chance of damage before you receive it, and yes I have received a headset with a damaged and scratched lens before. The clamps which hold the phone adjust to take the shape of your phone and utilize sturdy springs and other materials, it also shuts and opens with a magnet mechanism so there is zero chance of any damage from repeated opening or closing. It almost feels as if every aspect of this headset was thought out and designed accordingly.
Features: Unlike the more cheaper VR headsets or the cardboard ones, these come with IPD (Inter Pupillary Distance) adjusters which are very crucial for having a good VR experience in which the images aren't doubled or cause crossing eyes or any sort of stress. They also have focal length adjusters to change the distance between the phone and the screen as well as focus adjusting knobs around the lens to cater to people who use spectacles. I haven't tried these with spectacles but the other reviews say they work well and are comfortable. I used this headset with 4.5 inch and 5 inch phones and the spring-holding mechanism works perfectly without any flaws and do not allow the phone to move around inside the headset. You can also remove the front panel to allow for more ventilation if your phone seems to be getting heated. There are also slits on the side for connecting your charger as well headphones or an OTG controller, keyboard or mouse if you want. There are however no magnets or no foam touch based controls for your phone which can be quite a big deal for some people, but I will explain more about ways to work around this in the second part of the review.
VR experience: I have used the original Occulus Rift as well as a lot of other cardboard and cheaper plastic based VR headsets but this one simply gave me the best experience. Sure, you have intricate head tracking and such on the occulus but their screen is extremely low resolution and you can't read text in games as there are issues with UI (this part will make more sense after reading the second part of the review). I also have to mention that if you use stereoscopic 3d apps you can experience VR in 3D almost as if it was right in front of you! (second part of the review Hype :D) The headset is comfortable allowing for long periods of use, you could watch full length movies or play games without feeling the need to take it off. All the adjustments allow for keeping your eyes stress free as well. I also have to add that your experience largely depends on the resolution and ppi of your phone, as well as the presence of gyroscope and other sensors to add to the immersion. However, if you have a 4,5 inch phone your FOV (Field of View/Vision) will be a lot lesser, it means you will feel like you are looking at everything through goggles, it's not too bad and once immersion sets in you hardly notice. This is still a bit of an issue on my 5 inch phone as well so I'm guessing the perfect size for this viewer would be a 5.5 Inch phone.
Part 2 : Possible ways to use this device
First of all you don't need a magnetic switch, or a foam based one, or a controller, if your phone supports OTG you can buy an OTG to USB converter and just just connect your keyboard, mouse or gamepad to control the phone, if you want it wireless or don't have OTG you can use a wireless keyboard, mouse or gamepad. Or you could just stick a magnet on the front like one of the other reviews mentioned.
I have spent a lot of days researching how you could use your phone with a cardboard viewer as a potential replacement for an occulus rift, for gaming on the PC. I am glad to say this is now easily possible with the use of apps and a little bit of googling to fix your issues. For starters you can try downloading Trinus VR app for your phone and then visit the website on your PC to download the client. Run both and then follow the instructions to allow streaming your desktop to your PC and change settings accordingly(go to advanced mode) and start playing games, even with head tracking! This is the easiest way but I seem to have issues because I use an older phone as well as windows 10 on which this app doesn't seem to work properly so instead I use Splashtop, it's used in the same way, download a client for PC and the app on the phone and connect. Once you have that working, the next step is to get everything working in stereoscopic 3D, I used Tridef 3D for this (I do not endorse pirating in any way shape or form :P). You can also use Vireio Perception as an alternative that's freeware but I prefer Tridef for its ability to display Videos, Photos and other media as well in 3D. Once you set that up you can run your games from Tridef Ignition and then press (alt+shift+v to activate it's power 3D function) if you look into your viewer you will see that its in 3D! (Wire free streaming in stereoscopic 3d? Who needs occulus :P) The characters and other objects that come in front of your screen will be almost right in front of you, your text, cursor and other menu elements are also in 3D and are actually very clear. If you really want head tracking you can use kinoconsole instead of splashtop but it seems to lag when using power 3D from Tridef, there is also something called Opentrack that you can use to get sensor orientation from your phone and send it to mouse input so basically the mouse goes where you look (I can't go into detail about this you will have to google it). Another Awesome way you can use this is to extend your desktop using Trinus VR, set tracking mode to virtual desktop and you can look around your desktop and even set up additional workspaces!
On your Phone you can also download Side by Side Player to play or stream any videos from your phone or browser (press open with after opening the video on chrome/dolphin) to even stream videos in 3D.
Last but not least you can stream 3D movies using either the android app I just mentioned on your phone or if its on your PC you can use Tridef Media Player.
In conclusion, all this might seem like too much work (and I'm pretty sure I might have confused a great deal of you poor readers) but trust me its worth it! Once you play Skyrim in 3D you will never go back, same goes for experiencing stereoscopic 3D in movies and such. If you don't have time turn it into a weekend project and get it done, its well worth your time. Also you will have to google any problems you encounter, I might have been very vague and that's because this review is not the place to go into detail about all of this, you can just google it for faster results, also not all of them work for everyone and I had done a lot of experimenting to get what I mentioned in this review so good luck and make sure you have fun and learn from the process. Also don't say stuff like "there is not enough VR content for android" all you have to do is reach out and grab it! ;)
All in all I'm extremely satisfied with the experience this VR device has been able to provide and I'm only sure it will get even better when I get a new phone.
Thanks again for reading and have a great day!! :D
| Brand | PROCUS |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Procus VR, MIRACLE STUDIOS PRIVATE LIMITED, Cust Care No. 8968469643 |
| Model | PR01 |
| Model Name | PR01 |
| Product Dimensions | 28 x 21.59 x 17.78 cm; 110 g |
| Item model number | PR01 |
| Operating System | iOS, Android |
| Compatible Devices | Smartphone |
| Special Features | Support Mobile Screen Size 4.7"- 6.8" |
| Mounting Hardware | VR Headset, Manual, Lens Cleaning Cloth |
| Number of items | 1 |
| Batteries Included | No |
| Batteries Required | No |
| Includes Rechargeable Battery | No |
| Manufacturer | Procus VR |
| Country of Origin | India |
| Item Weight | 110 g |
