The wearable industry has come a long way since it was first introduced. Although the market is flooded mainly by smartwatch and fitness tracker, there is another thing that shows big promise, the HMD (head-mounted display) as seen in at least two upcoming gadgets: the Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR. Both of them are based on the developer kit version of Oculus Rift, but Gear VR is more like a portable version that needs to work in tandem with the company’s Galaxy Note 4.

Oculus Rift is paired with headset to give 360-degree experience of virtual audio/video reality of the world created by the device to the wearer. The virtual world can be outer space or games, and the main job of this VR gadget is to make the wearer feels and think that he/she is part of that virtual world. Samsung Gear VR has the exact same function. The final consumer versions of both Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR are not yet available.

Despite the fact that Oculus and Samsung has teamed up, the latter has created its own version of the same device. It is safe to say that Samsung Gear VR is an Oculus-like device, but there are major differences between them. To start with, Oculus Rift is a stand-alone kit that works on its own; of course, you need to pair it with headphones and controllers, but the kit includes everything you need to fire it off right away. In fact, the package includes an Xbox One Controller thanks to Microsoft partnership. Samsung Gear VR can be pre-ordered with a proprietary controller, but there is a caveat: you need to plug a Samsung Galaxy Note 4 to the VR to make it work.

Oculus Rift is planted with Galaxy Note 3 screen to give a resolution of 960 x 1080 pixels per eye. Because Samsung Gear VR basically uses Galaxy Note 4 as the screen, you get 5.7-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED display that delivers 2560 x 1440 pixels resolution for both eyes. Pixels by inch, the Gear VR gives better image quality. However, Gear VR only gives 96 degree field of view, while the Rift can give 100 degree. This means, you can look further with the Oculus Rift than with Gear VR, but the difference is not that big.

Another thing that greatly affects performance is user-interface. In Samsung Gear VR, basic controls are mounted on the headset. In case you want to play new demo or do anything outside of the virtual reality, you don’t have to take the headset off. There is even a touchpad on the side to access the integrated Oculus Home which has similar interface to that of Microsoft One. Separate buttons for volume controls are also available. With Oculus Rift, you have to take your headset off and use your computer monitor to launch new demo.

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