Why bother with real reality, when you can have virtual reality?
VR is back with a vengeance. Its failed start in the 90s was just a minor blip compared to how well it's being received these days. The likes of the Oculus Rift, the Steam VR headset and Project Morpheus from Sony are prime examples that this once considered dead technology is worth investing lots of folding stuff into.
Currently there are two main VR types available (three if you want to count Hololens): the type of headset that contains all the necessary processing for the immersive VR world, such as the Oculus Rift, and the type of headset that acts simply as a connected device for your phone, such as Google Cardboard and the model we're reviewing in this instance, the Archos VR Glasses.
The Archos Virtual Reality Glasses are an interesting concept. All you need to do is spread the hinged front of the headset to fit the dimensions of your phone, then gently close the four connecting sections around the phone, with the screen facing in, to block out any light from outside.
Once that's done, you place the headset on your head, adjusting the straps to comfortably fit the headset over your eyes and enjoy some of the beautifully rendered VR apps available for the device you're using.
Naturally, there's a bit more to it, but essentially all you're doing is using the phone as the VR processor while the headset and internal lenses project the image straight to your eyes. It doesn't sound like much, but it works quite effectively.
The VR Glasses are made from a lightweight black plastic, which is a little cheap feeling but good enough for the task at hand. The front, with its four hinged sections that close around the phone, is reasonably well designed and capable of fitting phones from 4.7 inches through the larger 6" models. We tested it with a Note 4 and its 5.7" screen worked a treat.
Archos states that a 5" model is the optimum sized phone and one with a screen resolution of 1080 x 1920, quad-core processor, accelerometer and gyroscope, since it's the phone that's doing the hard work here.
The side of the VR Glasses that will fit over your eyes is enclosed in a rubber seal, for both comfort and for blocking out the light. It too works well and is more than comfortable enough for long use. Finally, the straps can be adjusted with a Velcro section that goes over the top of your head and an adjustment buckle that tightens the strap around the circumference of your head.
As we said, the Archos VR Glasses are comfortable enough and with the adjustable lenses inside the headset, you can tweak the view to your own personal tastes for better enjoyment and longer use.
There are a few niggles, one being the fact that you can't access any of the side buttons or touchscreen on the phone once it's mounted in the headset, and the other being the need to remove the headset for adjusting the lenses. However, both these problems are easily remedied with an external controller and a little patience. One of the main problems, though, is the lack of good VR demos and games for both Android and iOS.
The Archos VR Glasses only cost £20 and are an interesting stopgap for getting used to VR while you wait for the more powerful and non-phone headsets to arrive on the shelves. For the sake of a bit of fun, though, the VR Glasses are pretty good. David Hayward
Good fun VR headset, cheap and easy to use.