Watch 3D Movies on Gear VR [Easy Step-by-Step Guide 2024]

Are you planning to get yourself a VR for quite some time? Watching reviews and reading articles on them— which is the best, comfortable, and whatnot.

But you have chosen Samsung Gear VR instead of HTC Vive Pro, Oculus Quest 2, or HP Reverb G2. Well, I have used Gear VR (SM-R324) with my Galaxy S6 Edge and VR (SM-R325) with my Galaxy S8 for a long time. So, I have pretty good knowledge of Gear VR.

I had a great time using those two. So, to know more about Gear VR and tons of other things, read till the end.

Why should I watch 3D movies on VR?

There are a lot of VR headsets out there to try. I will explain watching 3D movies on your Samsung Gear VR and some other stuffs.

How to Watch 3D Movies on Samsung Gear VR

The Samsung Gear VR is a phone-based system that works only with the phone doesn’t work with a laptop or a PC. Even there are two versions, they are compatible with specific models of Samsung.

I will give you a list of Samsung Gear VR and phone models to let you know the compatibility between them. But before I do so, first, I want to give you instructions on setting up your Gear VR.

If you know already what comes with the box and how to assemble them, you can jump straight into number three for instructions to watch 3D movies on your VR.

Note: Create an Oculus account first before you do anything else. This will save time.

Here are the steps to Watch 3D Movies on Samsung Gear VR:

1. Assemble your Gear VR

When you buy your Gear VR, it comes with the following parts:

• One long strap
• One short strap with a plastic hook
• One plastic visor
• One elastic tag
• One motion controller
• One micro USB adapter
• One micro USB-C adapter
• Two AAA batteries
• One wrist strap for the motion controller

Also, check out our separate post on how to clean VR headset foam.

To assemble these parts, you have to:

• Take the short strap and attach the plastic end to the small metal bar on the plastic visor with the open side of the hook facing the front of the headset.
• Slide the elastic tag on the long strap.
• Enter the two sides of the long strap into the slots on the sides of the plastic visor. Make sure the velcro parts face outward.
• Have a look at the short strap and long strap. Connect the velcro side of the short strap to the middle of the long strap and insert batteries to the motion controller.
• Connect the wrist strap to the motion controller through the hole under the battery cover.
• Attach the battery cover again.
• Enter the Gear VR controller into the elastic tag on the side strap.

Thus you can assemble your Gear VR. It’ll take some time to adjust perfectly.

2. Install Gear VR Software on Your Phone

It’s a very easy process to install Gear VR software on your phone. To do so:

• Insert your phone into the VR.
• Remove the phone from the VR when a voice instructs you to do so.
• Tap Agree on your phone. But don’t forget to read the agreement that appear on your screen.
• Tap Install to download Gear VR software.

Now following the below steps will be enough to watch movies on your Gear VR.

3. Pair your Gear VR Controller

You have to set up your software and pair your controller. Here is the way how you can do that.

• Go to Google Play Store.
• Search Oculus and install it.
• Give your information and create an account.
• Now sign in to your account. Tap Pair and hold down the home button on your Gear VR controller.
• Adjust your controller using the on-screen video guide.
• Tap Left Handed or Right Handed to set the controller preferences.

Thus you can set up your Gear VR software and pair your controller.

Follow our guide on how to Fix VR Headset Not Working.

4. Watch 3D Movies on Youtube

There are hundreds of movies on Youtube, and you can watch them without any cost

To watch movies on your Gear VR you need to:

• Launch the Oculus Store.
• Search for Samsung Internet Browser and install it.
• Launch Samsung Internet Browser and go to com.
• Search for 360-degree movies.
• Select one after finding one and click the square icon in the bottom right corner to maximize the view.
• Adjust the resolution by looking to the bottom edge of the VR’s screen, select the gear icon, and changing the resolution to the highest.

Note: Oculus App needs your Gear VR to use the highest resolution setting in VR. A prompt will ask you to enable WQHD+. It’s definitely better than FHD+.  But enabling WQHD+ means it will consume more power and drain your phone’s battery a lot faster than FHD+ does. So, try not to use WQHD+ if your Gear VR is off. You can change it from Settings>Display>Screen Resolution. You need to change the resolution every time you open youtube to watch 3D movies.

5. Watch locally stored 3D Movies

You can watch 3D movies by storing them locally on your phone. Follow this:

• Connect your Samsung to your PC through USB-C or micro USB.
• Enable file access.
• Create an Oculus/Movies/3D folder on your hone. You should only do this if you don’t see a folder like this.
• Move the 3D movies from your PC to this folder, and you’re good to go.

If your movie contains a 2D 360-degree field of view, you have to:

6. Look for the 360Videos folder and place the file there.

But if your file includes not only 3D but also 360-degree field f view, you have to:

• Rename the file, which ends with _TB for movies formatted in an under or over configuration. For example: mp4.
• Rename the file, which ends with _LR for movies formatted in a side-by-side configuration. For example: mp4.

Unplug your phone and insert it in the Gear VR when the transfer finishes.

• Select Library and Installed
• Select Oculus Video>Start. You’ll see a list of categories.
• Go to My Videos and select the movie.

6. Watch 3D Movies on Netflix

The procedure is very simple and straightforward for watching 3D movies on Netflix using Gear VR. Here’s how to watch:

• Launch Oculus Store.
• Search Netflix and install it.
• Open Netflix, and you’ll find a VR theater.

Note: The maximum video quality is up to 480p on Netflix for Gear VR.

7. Watch 3D Movies on Hulu

You can also watch 3D movies on Hulu using Gear VR effortlessly. To watch, you have to:

• Launch Oculus Store.
• Search Hulu and install it.
• Open Hulu, and you’ll find a menu of movie poster, TV shows trailers.
• Select the movie you want to watch.

Thus you can watch 3D movies in your Gear VR very quickly.

Check out the easiest way to fix a Blurry VR headset.

Gear VR Editions and Smartphone List

You can have an idea of which smartphone works with which Gear VR by following this chart. You can consider it as a historical chart. 

Caution: Gear VR will no longer be supported on devices that update Android 12 (November 15, 2021 Update). So, If you want to play games or watch movies on Gear VR, make sure you do not update your phone OS.

 Conclusion

The Samsung Gear VR you own is a mobile handset allowing you to participate in virtual reality. The quality of your picture will be as good as the video quality of your phone. I hope you have the ability and chance to experience this remarkable invention.