Google Chromecast now supports the Samsung Gear VR headset, which means users can now cast their VR exploits to the big screen.
The update brings a cast button to the Oculus mobile app that allows the user to easily cast whatever’s on the headset’s screen to their TV with a Chromecast attached.
Streaming VR through a TV is not a new revelation by any means, the biggest names in the VR game like the Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR headset have allowed users to do this for a while.
However, this is the first phone-based headset with this functionality, bringing casting to a much more accessible VR platform.
Related: Samsung Gear VR review
It’s worth noting that people viewing the cast are not able to interact with it, nor will they get the full experience that VR delivers as they’ll be watching it through a TV.
However, displaying a VR experience on a TV could make the experience less isolating, especially if you aren’t wearing headphones.
The feature could prove to be popular with people being introduced to VR for the first time, making it easier for an observer to talk a new user through the menus and navigation etc.
Although Samsung’s Gear VR is currently the only mobile-based headset to support Chromecast, Google’s Daydream will be receiving an update later this year that will enable the same functionality.
Are you going to take advantage of this new Gear VR update? Let us know in the comments.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.