Hi this is Phil from Make Tech Easier
and welcome to our review of the
VR Shinecon virtual reality glasses.
Virtual reality is still big news. Since
the 90s companies have been trying
to float this technology into the mass
market and every once in a while there's
a surge of interest. The development of
high-end VR kit like the Oculus and HTC
Vive fueled the current interest and
although in recent months it's taken a
bit of a dive there's still a lot of VR
software and hardware out there to enjoy.
It's at the low end that the fun VR
really starts. The Google cardboard
caught everyone's imagination as a cheap
VR headset which lowered the cost of
entry into VR overnight. Now as you know
there's a whole category of VR phone
based software on both the major app
stores and development seems to be
continuing. After the cardboard
manufacturers made more durable plastic
headsets and this VR Shinecon is a good
example. VR Shinecon in use. Although
it's inexpensive the unit seems
surprisingly solid in the hand and the
build quality and finishing are actually
pretty darn good. It seems like a much
more solid and expensive unit than it is
which is great. Unlike a lot of units
there are focus wheels for adjusting the
distance to your phone when it's inside.
There's also a pupil distance wheel in
the center which adjusts the distance
between the two lenses the lenses are
pretty good with some chromatic
aberration and red and blue edge lines
but nothing horrible. The place where
your face fits into the unit is padded
and comfortable and the straps which
clamp the unit to your head are wide and
strong they have velcro adjustment to
get the straps exactly the right length
for your comfort. Inside there is an
adjustable clamp inside the lid which
keeps your phone in position without
crushing it. Also the faceplate the front
of your phone rests against has a soft
velvety finish so is not to scratch your
precious phone glass. For some
applications, like augmented reality, the
front of the unit is held on by magnets
so you can pop it off to
reveal the phone camera. To use the unit
for VR download a VR app from Google
Play or the iOS app store and run it
then put your phone in the headset, make
sure the center line of the image is
lined up and close the lid. In addition
to the headset you get a free mini
Bluetooth gamepad which helps you to
interact with the VR apps without having
to open the unit and touch the screen. This is
terrific because not only does this work
with VR games but also with other games.
That's a nice bonus. Conclusion
considering the price this is a pretty
decent VR headset. It works best with the
bigger screen phones, as do all VR
headsets for phones, but it does OK even
with an iPhone 5. It's comfortable to
wear, opens and closes firmly and hold
your phone steady inside so it doesn't
move around while your head moves. The
optics are quite good and obviously not
very expensive which means there is
sometimes a small amount of chromatic
aberration at the edges of objects but
in use this is not an issue. For the most
part you won't even notice it. Also
because the lenses can be focused you
get far less eye strain than you do with
cheap fixed focus units. OK the rating
for this review is 9 out of 10. Here are
the pros: great build quality, it has good
enough optics, but focusing wheels reduce
eye strain and make for an immersive
experience. The unit is comfortable in
use stays put on your head and holds your
phone securely. It feels like an item of
equipment rather than a toy. Okay so
here's the cons: it's actually hard to
come up with any cons without sounding
like we're nitpicking - the optics could
be better but that would bump up the
cost. OK that's it for now. If you enjoyed
this video one like, subscribe and add
your comments below. See you next time!
