Samsung Brings Multiple Video On Demand Apps To Gear With PhoneCast VR

, & Jamie Feltham

4 May 2017

Samsung Brings Multiple Video On Demand Apps To Gear With PhoneCast VR

Gear VR’s dedicated Netflix app is a great showcase of how traditional 2D content can work inside VR, but it sadly only works for one video service. However, a new app from Samsung itself is bringing similar apps into the headset.

The company this week launched a Beta version of Samsung PhoneCast VR. Developed by its American research lab, this free app places users in a 360 degree environment with a 200-inch relative sized virtual display. All you need to do is download a compatible video streaming service, boot up the app, select the service of your choice, and then you can interact with it using the Gear’s touchpad or the new motion controller. You can see it in the image above sporting the rather hilarious Ostrich advert that Samsung debuted for Gear VR earlier in the year.

Currently supported apps include Hulu, Crackle, YouTube, Musically, Kodi and a lot more. We’ve included the full list below.

Information like battery life and WiFi connectivity is displayed under the virtual screen and you can adjust the display’s size and position while you watch. Sadly it doesn’t look like there’s any social element to it just yet; sharing VR viewing experiences with friends like in Oculus Rooms would be great, though perhaps there are some legal complications to work out between sharing users. That said this is just a beta for now, so there’s always hope for more features later down the line.