VR headsets like this one are becoming a very popular way for anyone to experience all the cool VR content that is out there. 360 degree videos are great to watch, VR-based games are a lot of fun, and these cheaper headsets allow you to try those out without spending hundreds on a top of the line VR headset. This particular headset from Shinecon is unfortunately hampered by a design choice that is becoming popular, the slide-in design.

There are usually two kinds of budget VR headsets. The ones with a compartment that you open, put your phone in, and then close, and the slide-in design which is always open, and you simply slide your phone into plastic grips that hold it in place. I assume the slide-in design is cheaper to make, as it’s quickly become the standard for cheap VR headsets. Sadly this headset is a great example of why that design is so flawed.

When you slide your phone in, the screen is then totally covered by the headset. This means you cannot reach your screen, so if you want to watch a video, for example, you have to start that video before you put the phone into the headset. This leads to a bunch of problems: you miss the start of every single video, as sliding the phone in takes a few seconds, plus 80% of the time sliding the phone in will cause the screen to press against the headset in some way, pausing your video, or minimizing it, or even turning the screen off. If this happens, you have to take it out again and start the process all over again. I used this headset a few dozen times over a few days, and the vast majority of the time the slide-in process caused a problem and forced me to try again. By the end, I had no interest in ever using the headset again.

If you can get the headset going, you’ll find that it works fine. The cushioning around the eyes is very good, the straps can be adjusted, and there’s a small slider to adjust how close together the two eye-sections of the headset are. It’s nothing special, but once you actually get started the headset does the job without any problems. It’s comfy, not too heavy, and can be easily adjusted. I did find, however, that the grips on the slide-in section were starting to come loose after just a few days of use. They grip the phone very tightly, so I imagine the strain from having my phone put in and then taken out over and over again was starting to loosen them. Still, they worked fine the last time I had the patience to actually try it out.

All in all, this is a product that works well once you get past its absurd design decision that forces you to perform the same action five times before you can finally watch a neat video or play a novel game. The experience is fine, but getting there is a chore.

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Pros
+ Works with various sizes of phones
+ Low-budget way to experience VR
+ Phone is well-secured and straps are adjustable

Cons
- Slide-in design is poorly thought out
- Cannot start video or app once phone is already in the headset
- 80% of the time the slide-in process caused video to pause, minimize, etc.
- Slide-in grips began to come loose within a few days of use

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Note: I received this product at a discounted rate in exchange for an unbiased, honest review as provided here. As a consumer advocate, I believe in providing quality and honest feedback and receiving a product at a discounted rate will never affect my opinions.