Qantas to give trial for Samsung Gear VR headset for in-flight entertainment

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BY Unknown 04:05 0

Qantas to give trial for Samsung Gear VR headset for in-flight entertainment

Some are using their VR headsets to play a flight simulator and get a first-person perspective of the cockpit. Qantas Airways wants to flip this on its head and use a VR headset – namely the Samsung Gear VR – take you anywhere you want while in a first class cabin of select Airbus A380 flights.

Select first class lounges (in Sydney and Melbourne) will also get the Gear VR so you can preview your destination.

Another use is to view movies on a large virtual screen, instead of the small display you normally get. And if you find yourself missing the feeling of flight those games give you, you can get a real-life view of the landing through the plane’s external cameras.

The Samsung Gear VR is a headset that combines with a Galaxy Note 4 to provide an experience similar to the Oculus Rift (the Rift DK3 uses the Super AMOLED screen of the Note 4). Jaunt and Tourism NT will provide live-action footage of various destination.

The Gear VR headsets will be offered to first class flyers in Sydney and Melbourne’s lounges and in the first class cabin of A380 flights between Australia and Los Angeles. The trial will start in mid-March and run for three months.

While Qantas is the first airline to offer a VR headset, Airbus has a patent on VR helmets that integrate with the seats on the plane.