Back in January of this year, Plex made its first foray into the world of VR after having gained some inspiration from a community project, Plevr. This resulted in the release of Plex VR for Google Daydream compatible devices which enabled people to watch media together in real-time in a virtual theater. However, those who bought VR hardware outside of Google"s ecosystem were left empty-handed.
Addressing this situation, Plex has announced that it is rolling out its VR app to the Gear VR. If the app follows the lead taken by its Daydream app, specific functions, such as "Watch together" will require a Plex Pass, however, everybody should get the chance to try it out for the first seven days of their Plex VR experience at no charge. Plex Pass holders should also gain access to a unique drive-in movie theater scene.
Plex VR for Gear VR has the following hardware and software requirements:
- Samsung Galaxy S7 and up, Samsung Galaxy Note 6 and up
- The Gear VR headset (controller optional)
- The Plex VR app downloaded from the Oculus Store
- Plex Media Server version 1.8.1 or later if streaming from a Plex Media Server.
Unfortunately, for Galaxy S6 owners, Plex decided not to make its VR app available on this handset due to poor performance.
At present, the app is not fully featured, but Plex has advised that "Watch together, including Voice Chat on Plex VR will be available on Gear VR within a few weeks." The company also took the opportunity to reaffirm its commitment to continue delivering improvements to its app for Daydream devices.