Author: Andreas Johannsen
Date: March 24, 2016
Unlike other controllers from manufacturers like HTC, Oculus, and Sony PlayStation, Samsung Rink is not controlled through a PC, but through a cellphone.
Buy VR Guide Score
Plus
- Mobile
- Wireless
- Easy to use
Minus
- Tracking with your fingers
Samsung Rink Review
As seen in the image below, the Samsung Rink controllers are formed like a U that is wrapped around the hands. That way, you don’t have to focus on grabbing onto something the way you often see with other controllers. This can help give you a feeling of greater freedom of movement, and you can move your hands more freely without worrying about losing a controller.
The controller set consists of a small box that is placed on top of the Samsung Gear VR headset. The box communicates with the controllers worn on your hands, and it helps track your movements while you play. Like Oculus Touch, the Samsung Rink can track your finger movements in a somewhat similar way, making interaction in the virtual world a more fascinating experience.
On several other American tech websites, there have been a number of reviews of the Samsung Rink, positive as well as negative. Among other things, some have been critical of the tracking of the finger movements. So far, the Samsung Rink is just a demo model, so it is unknown, whether there will be additional changes to the final product.
Price
The price of the Rink is not yet known, and a launch date has yet to be announced as well.
Conclusion
Samsung are wise to throw their hat in the ring for the controller market, as the potential is huge. Furthermore, they are trying to hit a price point that is cheaper than HTC, Oculus, and PlayStation, but still seems like a product of incredibly high quality.
It seems like Samsung has managed to create a high-end controller set for a non-high-end VR headset. Samsung even call their controllers for mobile VR controllers, which may open up the opportunity to use the controllers with other VR Viewers connected to a cellphone.
If you are not ready to invest in the three three high-end headsets, one option would definitely be to try the controllers with another VR Viewer, if this becomes possible.
Read more about the Samsung Gear VR here.
