Oculus today announced a major milestone for Gear VR, the company’s mobile VR headset made in collaboration with Samsung.
Gear VR launched at the end of 2015 with an agreeable price of $99. Following an aggressive giveaway alongside pre-orders of Samsung’s latest S7 phones, Oculus says that the platform has passed 1 million monthly active users, an impressive milestone. Although we know that more than 5 million Google Cardboard VR viewers are out in the wild, we wouldn’t be surprised if Gear VR has the larger active user base given the headset’s improved experience and VR app library compared to Cardboard.
Oculus says that there’s now over 250 apps available for Gear VR and, perhaps surprisngly, video content seems to be leading the way as the most used type of content on the platform. 7 out of 10 of the most used apps are video-based, and day-to-day, about 80% of users are using VR video apps, according to Oculus.
For those enjoying VR video on the headset, there’s more content coming down the pipe, including Nomads, a new film from Felix & Paul Studios that follows the lives of several nomadic peoples across the globe. The first of three episodes of Nomads is available today, in which you’ll spend time with yak herders on the Mongolian steppes, Maasai warriors in Kenya, and the traveling coastal Bajau people of Borneo.
Next week Discovery VR launches a Deadliest Catch VR video experience which will capture the action of the popular reality show about commercial fishing on the Bering Sea.
And while Facebook has had support for 360 videos for some time now, the application is soon to get the same for 360 photos. Those with Gear VR will see a special button within the Facebook app which will allow users to open the 360 photo in Gear VR for immersive viewing. 360 photos from Facebook will also be browseable through the Oculus 360 Photos app.
