Speck's Pocket VR viewer for iPhone 6/6S and Galaxy S7 folds incredibly flat (hands-on)
Speck's answer to Google Cardboard is a virtual reality viewer that's both svelte and durable.
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Back in January at CES Speck showed off its take on Google Cardboard, a pocket-friendly virtual reality viewer with a compact and collapsible design that it calls Pocket VR. It's now shipping and I got my hands on an early sample.
What's nice about Pocket VR is that it's both slim and durable and also easy to set up and break down. Speck bundles its likable CandyShell Grip case with the viewer and the whole package lists for $70. I got the iPhone 6/6S version but there's also a version for Galaxy 7 owners.
When closed, the retractable side panels fold into a flat package, covering the lenses and shielding them from dust and scratches.
I didn't really notice a significant difference in viewing quality from using Google cardboard, but the lenses in Pocket VR are "precision crafted" and seem to offer slightly better clarity.
The Speck viewer is designed to work with such VR apps as Google VR and Speck has announced a partnership Jaunt, a leader in cinematic VR.
Currently, Speck doesn't sell Pocket VR separately. You have to buy it with the Grip case, which is too bad for people who already own Grip cases. It also only supports the Galaxy S7 (not the S7 Edge) and iPhone 6/6S at this time.
A Speck PR rep added: "The iPhone 6/6S and GS7 viewers are not interchangeable. The viewers are made specifically to work with either the iPhone or Galaxy because even the slight differences in the size of the phone affects the dimensions of the viewer."