Not everyone is really into watching 360-videos for various reasons. But probably almost everyone would want to watch videos on a bigger screen. If you can’t afford to buy a 200-inch TV, you can at least get to have a virtual 200-inch screen with the Samsung Gear VR headset. And now Samsung has released a new app called PhoneCast VR which will give compatibility to 3rd-party video streaming services so you can watch both 360-degree videos and “regular” videos on your headset.
If you’ve never tried watching videos on a 200-inch virtual screen but you have a Gear VR handy (or you’re planning to buy one since it’s really not that expensive), then you might want to try it out now. Previously, third-party video streaming apps are not compatible with the VR headset from Samsung. But now with the PhoneCast VR, you will be able to watch the streaming content from the video apps that are supported in the initial release. This includes YouTube, Hulu, Plex, Vudu, Musically, VLC, etc.
When you launch the PhoneCast app, you will see the list of compatible video streaming apps with a background of a scenic lake campfire. You just launch the app/service you want to watch from. You can adjust the brightness or the size and position of the virtual screen. There are 23 video streaming sites that are supported for now, but major players like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and even Google Play Movies aren’t there, but hopefully they will be added soon.
The app is still in beta mode though, so don’t expect everything to be perfect. But you can already download the APK of PhoneCast VR and install it in your Samsung Gear VR. Here’s the complete list of supported apps.
1. Plex
2. Vudu
3. Epix
4. Hulu
5. Tubi TV
6. Crackle
7. YouTube
8. NFL
9. Musically
10. Kodi
11. Naver TV
12. V Live
13. Kakao TV Live
14. Smart DMB
15. Africa TV
16. Naver Webtoon
17. Oksusu
18. Olleh TV Mobile
19. LTE Video Portal
20. VLC
21. Xfinity
22. Sling TV
23. MX Player
VIA: SAM Mobile
