Facebook is ending software updates for the Samsung Gear VR. Further, users will no longer be able to access films or download the Oculus Video app.
The Samsung Gear VR is a smartphone-based VR headset. Like Google Cardboard and its plastic derivatives, users slot in their smartphone which acts as the display and computer. Unlike cardboard, however, it features a dedicated gyroscope and accelerometer, and runs the same Oculus mobile platform and store as the Oculus Go.
Before uploading or sharing your videos, install the Gear 360 ActionDirector software on your computer to edit them; it's specifically designed for your Gear 360 camera. ActionDirector provides editing functions such as stitching, trimming, adding titles, and creating transitions in your videos - and the best part is this video editing software comes free for all Gear 360 owners. How to Download and Install Samsung Gear 360 (New) for PC or MAC: Open the emulator software from the start menu or desktop shortcut in your PC. Associate or set up your Google account with the emulator. You can either install the App from Google PlayStore inside the emulator or download Samsung Gear 360 (New) APK file from the below link from our site and open the APK file with the emulator. Gear 360 ActionDirector is top of the line 360° video editing software designed specifically for and included with your Samsung Gear 360 camera. Gear 360 ActionDirector assists Gear 360 users by importing and automatically stitching videos and photos shot from your Gear 360, and provides several essential editing functions such as trimming, adding titles and creating transitions in your. Install the Gear 360 app on your phone Install the Gear 360 app Once you get the Gear 360 app, you'll be able to share your awesome videos and photos with the world. On your phone, navigate to and open Play Store.
The first Gear VR was released in late 2014 for Samsung's Galaxy Note 4. While labeled an 'Innovator Edition,' the product was essentially the first modern consumer VR headset.
Over the years, new versions were released to support the latest Samsung phones. The headset did not change significantly, other than the inclusion of a 3DoF controller from 2017 onward.
No Updates, no films, no new 360 video users
Samsung phones will no longer receive new Gear VR features via Oculus OS updates.
From today, the Oculus Video and Oculus 360 Photos apps will no longer be able to be downloaded on Gear VR. If you already have those apps installed on your phone you can continue to use them, but rented and purchased films will no longer be available. Existing users with purchased films should receive Oculus Store credit 'equivalent to the cost you paid for any titles you bought,' according to Facebook. Users should be able to continue to use other film services like Netflix, Prime Video, and Fandango Now, but we should note that some developers who supported Gear VR stopped once it became clear Facebook wasn't going to update the platform anymore.
The included Oculus Browser will no longer be updated. In Facebook's own words, this may introduce 'an increased security risk, as with using any out-of-date web browser.' At Oculus Connect conferences, the browser has been said to be one of the top used apps on mobile VR.
Samsung's own Samsung Internet is available on Gear VR, but hasn't been updated since April 2019. Other third party browsers exist on the store, but with low user ratings.
From September 15, developers will no longer be able to support Gear VR on new apps released to the Oculus Store.
Gear VR was already dead
Samsung 360 Camera Software
The announcement won't be a surprise to those following the Gear VR in months.
At Oculus Connect 6 back in September, Oculus' then-CTO John Carmack essentially declared the Gear VR dead.
Samsung Gear 360 Software For Windows
This was prompted by the news that Samsung's Galaxy Note 10 would not support VR. The Galaxy S20 followed suit this year, ending Samsung's support of the platform.
Google's competing Daydream smartphone VR platform is also essentially dead, with neither the Pixel 3a nor Pixel 4 supporting it and sales of the headset itself ending.
In December the Oculus SDK dropped support for Gear VR, and in January the Unity engine, used to make most VR apps, deprecated support.
Smartphone-based VR created a lot of problems. The time it takes to slot in and out the phone, and the fact the user's phone is unusable while docked into the headset, makes people less likely to want to use VR on a regular basis. A Gear VR session could also end after a matter of minutes, depending on the device and conditions in which it is used, due to the phone's processor reaching its thermal limits. Smartphones pack all of their components into an incredibly small space. While Samsung improves its passive cooling design almost every year, there are physical limitations which can't be overcome packing VR into a device designed first as a phone.
Standalone VR headsets, though, incorporate the screens and computing hardware and are designed for better cooling. Despite standalones having roughly the same graphical limitations as smartphone VR, Carmack claimed that the Oculus Go saw Rift-like retention levels, whereas Gear VR's was much lower.
Facebook previously stopped production of cables for the original Oculus Rift, leaving many owners with no repair option when it breaks. Oculus Go's social features were dropped late last year. Facebook said Quest will be supported 'for years to come', but Go looks like it may be on the way out.
This story originally appeared on Uploadvr.com. Copyright 2020
From today, the Oculus Video and Oculus 360 Photos apps will no longer be able to be downloaded on Gear VR. If you already have those apps installed on your phone you can continue to use them, but rented and purchased films will no longer be available. Existing users with purchased films should receive Oculus Store credit 'equivalent to the cost you paid for any titles you bought,' according to Facebook. Users should be able to continue to use other film services like Netflix, Prime Video, and Fandango Now, but we should note that some developers who supported Gear VR stopped once it became clear Facebook wasn't going to update the platform anymore.
The included Oculus Browser will no longer be updated. In Facebook's own words, this may introduce 'an increased security risk, as with using any out-of-date web browser.' At Oculus Connect conferences, the browser has been said to be one of the top used apps on mobile VR.
Samsung's own Samsung Internet is available on Gear VR, but hasn't been updated since April 2019. Other third party browsers exist on the store, but with low user ratings.
From September 15, developers will no longer be able to support Gear VR on new apps released to the Oculus Store.
Gear VR was already dead
Samsung 360 Camera Software
The announcement won't be a surprise to those following the Gear VR in months.
At Oculus Connect 6 back in September, Oculus' then-CTO John Carmack essentially declared the Gear VR dead.
Samsung Gear 360 Software For Windows
This was prompted by the news that Samsung's Galaxy Note 10 would not support VR. The Galaxy S20 followed suit this year, ending Samsung's support of the platform.
Google's competing Daydream smartphone VR platform is also essentially dead, with neither the Pixel 3a nor Pixel 4 supporting it and sales of the headset itself ending.
In December the Oculus SDK dropped support for Gear VR, and in January the Unity engine, used to make most VR apps, deprecated support.
Smartphone-based VR created a lot of problems. The time it takes to slot in and out the phone, and the fact the user's phone is unusable while docked into the headset, makes people less likely to want to use VR on a regular basis. A Gear VR session could also end after a matter of minutes, depending on the device and conditions in which it is used, due to the phone's processor reaching its thermal limits. Smartphones pack all of their components into an incredibly small space. While Samsung improves its passive cooling design almost every year, there are physical limitations which can't be overcome packing VR into a device designed first as a phone.
Standalone VR headsets, though, incorporate the screens and computing hardware and are designed for better cooling. Despite standalones having roughly the same graphical limitations as smartphone VR, Carmack claimed that the Oculus Go saw Rift-like retention levels, whereas Gear VR's was much lower.
Facebook previously stopped production of cables for the original Oculus Rift, leaving many owners with no repair option when it breaks. Oculus Go's social features were dropped late last year. Facebook said Quest will be supported 'for years to come', but Go looks like it may be on the way out.
This story originally appeared on Uploadvr.com. Copyright 2020
Gear 360 ActionDirector is top of the line 360° video editing software designed specifically for and included with your Samsung Gear 360 camera.
Gear 360 ActionDirector assists Gear 360 users by importing and automatically stitching videos and photos shot from your Gear 360, and provides several essential editing functions such as trimming, adding titles and creating transitions in your videos – and the best part is, ActionDirector excels at 360° video editing!
In this tutorial, we will give you a brief introduction to Gear 360 ActionDirector.
Upon launching ActionDirector, you will see the following start-up menu, and from here you can choose to edit:
- 360° VR video: import 360° videos, add 360° effects, and then share directly to social platforms that support 360° video, such as Youtube or Facebook
- HD video: import 2D videos captured from your smartphone, digital camera or action camera, and you can use ActionDirector to edit these as well
Click on the '360 VR Video' icon to enter into Gear 360 ActionDirector's editing interface, and from here you will see the following:
Samsung Gear 360 Software Pc
- Media Room: here you can import your 360° videos and photos taken from your Gear 360
- Titles/Transitions: you can switch rooms here if you would like to add titles or transitions (between clips) into your video
- Preview Window: you can preview your content as you edit, from the Media Room or the Story Board here
- Story Board: here is where your story comes alive, you can drop your footage, titles and transitions and edit for the perfect sequence
- Music: need a little ambiance? No problem, you can add background music by clicking this button here
- Produce: when your work has been completed, you can produce your video here!
Next, you can move onto the following tutorials for more in depth explanations of each feature for Gear 360 ActionDirector, that we just went over:
