With a comfortable, padded seat in its booth at Mobile World Congress, LG showcased its 360 VR headset by barreling me down a high-speed rollercoaster in 4D. As the seats moved up and down the experience was slightly jarring but served as an entertaining introduction in the possibilities of the LG 360 VR.
While the “ride” was going, the 360 VR was hardly noticeable on my head. Its weight (only 4.1 ounces) and dimensions are traits LG touted heavily during its MWC press conference in Barcelona where it unveiled the device alongside the LG G5.
The roller coaster video used LG’s 360 camera to capture the experience of what it was like to be in that coveted front row of a roller coast. LG's latest camera will be a big part of a user's experience with the 360 VR as users can take photos or videos and view them on the headset.
LG’s 360 VR is used by simply connecting the goggles to the phone via a USB Type-C cable. No other accessories are needed to experience VR with the LG 360. It features a resolution of 639 ppi.
The device is a sleek, grey headset that you barely notice is on your head. Once you put it on, it kind of looks like you have on that awesome Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge visor from Star Trek. VR is the future indeed.
Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf touted the Snapdragon 820-powered device during its introduction at MWC.
"With Snapdragon 820, we set to make virtual reality mobile,” he said. “(It has) the performance and power efficiently to capture and playback 360 photos and video and play VR games."
After spending time with the device, he's right. The LG 360 VR is easily foldable and is a headset that you can easily take anywhere. It's unobtrusive, easy to set up and doesn't need anything but your LG phone or camera to enjoy.
Overall, the LG 360 VR is a necessary step in the evolution of VR to become more accessible and easier to use. It will be limited by the lack of gaming accessories but enhanced by LG’s 360 camera and mobility. LG has not commented on a specific price or release date for its first VR device.
We didn’t get to try much of the LG 360 VR’s gaming capabilities so stay tuned for future reviews of the headset’s gaming abilities and make sure to follow along with the rest of our coverage from MWC in Barcelona.
