Tech Tools: LG 360

The LG 360 VR headset is part Samsung Gear VR, part HTC Vive inspired

A delegate tries a set of LG 360 VR goggles, manufactured by LG Electronics Inc. at a news conference ahead of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, recently. Photograph: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg
A delegate tries a set of LG 360 VR goggles, manufactured by LG Electronics Inc. at a news conference ahead of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, recently. Photograph: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg

The HTC Vive is coming, the Oculus has already been taking preorders for weeks and the Samsung Gear VR was made available last year. So where does that leave other mobile companies? If you're LG, it leaves you developing your own headset. The LG 360 VR headset is part Gear, part Vive inspired. On the one hand, it uses the smartphone for VR content, similar to the Gear; but like the Vive, it has its own display, making it a more lightweight offering than the Gear. That's where things end though and the LG 360 goes its own way. It's a much more compact headset than any of the ones being offered, which has the advantage of make it more lightweight but the downside to that is that it doesn't feel quite as effective at sealing off the real world.

It works with the LG G5, tethering it to the phone through a USB-C cable, meaning you’ll need to invest in LG’s brand new phone, too.