You've got a new Gear VR! Now what?
Your came with a headset capable of immersing you in some really cool games and videos, but there's a lot more to the . This is basically a portable entertainment center, and if you're prepared for the best possible experience you're going to get it. All you need to do is make sure you're set up to have a lot of fun in VR, which isn't all that different from having fun anywhere else.
Here are some quick tips for setting up your Gear VR for maximum fun times.
Get some headphones
Just about every Gear VR experience will tell you it is best with headphones, and with good reason. Headphones make it much easier for you to feel immersed in the experience you are seeing, by making it so you hear things from every direction just like you would in that other kind of reality that doesn't require a headset.
If you got your Gear VR for free with a Galaxy S8, your phone came with a set of decent earbuds that are perfect for this experience. If you're looking for some better options, we've got a few for you to choose from.
Create an Oculus Avatar
The Oculus App will grab your Facebook profile picture as the acting default for your Oculus profile, but there's another option that is way more exciting — Oculus Avatars! These are more dynamic, often silly versions of yourself you can dress up as you please, and they move around in VR synced up to your head movements.
Oculus Avatars can be used in any app, which means you will run into apps and games on your Gear VR where other people will be able to see and interact with you as your Oculus Avatar. Grab the and have some fun with this, so you can go be a part of the fun later.
Set up a payment method
You don't have to buy apps and games from Oculus, and in fact there are plenty of great free experiences to be had from within your Gear VR. Even if you don't think you're ever going to pay for apps in your Gear VR, you should probably add a payment method to your account. Having one already loaded makes it possible for you to quickly buy just by entering your pin, so you can go from seeing something cool to actually using it in seconds instead of minutes.
The Oculus Store lets you use a bunch of different cards, or you can add your PayPal account if you're not a fan of having your card stored somewhere. Either way, this is absolutely something you should do before you get too far into your Gear VR experience.
Change the notification settings
Your Gear VR is set up to pass notifications from your phone to the Gear VR, so you get a little pop up in VR when someone texts or calls you. Unfortunately, there isn't much you can actually do with these notifications while you are wearing the Gear VR, so they mostly just interrupt your game.
Oculus lets you disable these notifications entirely so you aren't interrupted, and it's a good idea to consider using this feature. It keeps you distraction free in VR, which is important if you're watching a video or deep in a game.
Check out the Events calendar
Without even putting your phone into the Gear VR, you can check and see what major events are happening in your favorite VR apps. The Oculus App has an events tab, which lets you mark yourself as interested in a particular event and notifies you when that event gets closer.
These events range from in-game specials to live performances and even big sports days, so remember to scroll through it as often as possible to avoid missing anything fun!
Your came with a headset capable of immersing you in some really cool games and videos, but there's a lot more to the . This is basically a portable entertainment center, and if you're prepared for the best possible experience you're going to get it. All you need to do is make sure you're set up to have a lot of fun in VR, which isn't all that different from having fun anywhere else.
Here are some quick tips for setting up your Gear VR for maximum fun times.
Get some headphones
Just about every Gear VR experience will tell you it is best with headphones, and with good reason. Headphones make it much easier for you to feel immersed in the experience you are seeing, by making it so you hear things from every direction just like you would in that other kind of reality that doesn't require a headset.
If you got your Gear VR for free with a Galaxy S8, your phone came with a set of decent earbuds that are perfect for this experience. If you're looking for some better options, we've got a few for you to choose from.
Create an Oculus Avatar
The Oculus App will grab your Facebook profile picture as the acting default for your Oculus profile, but there's another option that is way more exciting — Oculus Avatars! These are more dynamic, often silly versions of yourself you can dress up as you please, and they move around in VR synced up to your head movements.
Oculus Avatars can be used in any app, which means you will run into apps and games on your Gear VR where other people will be able to see and interact with you as your Oculus Avatar. Grab the and have some fun with this, so you can go be a part of the fun later.
Set up a payment method
You don't have to buy apps and games from Oculus, and in fact there are plenty of great free experiences to be had from within your Gear VR. Even if you don't think you're ever going to pay for apps in your Gear VR, you should probably add a payment method to your account. Having one already loaded makes it possible for you to quickly buy just by entering your pin, so you can go from seeing something cool to actually using it in seconds instead of minutes.
The Oculus Store lets you use a bunch of different cards, or you can add your PayPal account if you're not a fan of having your card stored somewhere. Either way, this is absolutely something you should do before you get too far into your Gear VR experience.
Change the notification settings
Your Gear VR is set up to pass notifications from your phone to the Gear VR, so you get a little pop up in VR when someone texts or calls you. Unfortunately, there isn't much you can actually do with these notifications while you are wearing the Gear VR, so they mostly just interrupt your game.
Oculus lets you disable these notifications entirely so you aren't interrupted, and it's a good idea to consider using this feature. It keeps you distraction free in VR, which is important if you're watching a video or deep in a game.
Check out the Events calendar
Without even putting your phone into the Gear VR, you can check and see what major events are happening in your favorite VR apps. The Oculus App has an events tab, which lets you mark yourself as interested in a particular event and notifies you when that event gets closer.
These events range from in-game specials to live performances and even big sports days, so remember to scroll through it as often as possible to avoid missing anything fun!