I’ve long be intrigued about the potential of virtual reality, and as such, I’ve been dying to try the Oculus Rift or the HTC Vive. Sadly, I’ve yet to have the opportunity to try either.

I humbly settled on Google Cardboard, which is a nice novelty, but a less than ideal experience. For all that Google Cardboard lacked, it made it clear that VR is more than just a passing fad, and that it features some serious potential.

Google Cardboard, for all of its merits, doesn’t do the idea of VR justice. Fortunately, you don’t have to spend ~$1500 to enjoy a proper VR experience. Samsung’s Gear VR, an idea brought to reality via a partnership with VR pioneer Oculus, is a legitimate VR experience that makes me downright excited about the future of this technology.

Gear VR is far from perfect, but it’s a huge upgrade over Google Cardboard, and cheap enough to where the masses can both experience and validate it. expand full story

Google is reportedly tapping into their deep bench of talent to staff their new virtual reality division. A report from Re/Code details their new design team composed of employees from around the company, as the tech industry increasingly focuses around VR.

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Google may be the first company to attempt to turn augmented reality eyewear into a mass-market product, but the concept itself is nothing new. The Augmented World Expo in Santa Clara has collected together more than 30 prototypes of augmented and virtual reality headsets, and Engadget has a comprehensive set of photos which make fascinating viewing.

We’re sharing a few of them below the break, from the crude to the close-to-Glass-like …  expand full story