What is Phone VR?
Phone VR utilizes a smartphone to deliver virtual reality experiences. Rather than requiring an expensive, dedicated VR headset connected to a computer or console, phone VR relies entirely on components built into modern smartphones.
A phone VR headset is essentially a mount for the phone with lenses that focus and split the screen image for each eye to create a stereoscopic 3D view. The lenses convert the smartphone screen very close to the user's eyes to provide an immersive experience that fills most of their field of view.
In addition to displaying imagery, the smartphone's accelerometer and gyroscope motion sensors are able to track the movement and orientation of the user's head in 360 degrees. As the user looks around, the phone is able to render views representing where they are looking within the virtual environment.
While lacking some capabilities of high-end VR, phone VR provides a convenient and affordable way to enjoy basic VR gaming and 360 video. Continued smartphone advances combined with VR optimizations provide ever-improving quality and capabilities.
VRidge, TrinusVR, iVRy, Bigscreen Beta, DreamDesk VR, Gagagu VR-Streamer, ALVR - Air Light VR, KinoVR, KinoConsole, Intugame, LightVR are some alternatives to Phone VR.