Customer Ratings & Reviews

The Merge - VR Goggles are my first experience with virtual reality (VR). There is an abundance of videos and games that use VR, and it takes time to get used to using the buttons on top of the VR goggles. If you suffer from motion sickness, then VR may not be for you as it can be a disorienting experience. The biggest issue I have with these goggles is finding free VR games and videos on the recommended website https://miniverse.io/home. I ended up using the iOS store and just typing VR games or VR videos to look for free content to try out some games. If a filter to search for free content is added https://miniverse.io/home then it would make the entire VR experience better.

I have been wanting to try out a virtual reality headset for a while now. After some research, I decided to try out these Merge VR. I must admit that they are really cool. Merge VR is very durable and made out of a soft foam that can stand up well for rough use / travel. I have downloaded a couple of the apps in iPhone 7 Plus and was very impressed with clarity. For a mobile VR option, these are great especially for the price. They are really comfortable to wear with glasses which is a definite bonus. The lens adjustments are easy to use and the buttons on top are a cool feature. My kids are enjoying with Merge VR for educational, games and history areas of interest. Overall very intuitive and very easy to use. We recently took it with us for Las Vegas trip and it kept the kids entertained throughout the trip. My kids tried with android phones and it worked without any issues. Overall, I am pleased with my Merge VR and it is really good for mobile VR. If you're looking for a VR headset that does not require a specific phone, I will definitely recommend this one.

Okay this is like a fisher price view finder. Just get a real VR

This was my first experience with VR and it was a good one. I didn't know what to expect, but at any rate was excited to try out the goggles with the VR Cube (virtually a must own with the goggles here). As long as you go in with not super high expectations, you will get an enjoyable experience out of this little product. The only reason I give it four stars is because I think there are better options out there, if you want to spend more. Not that that is a justifier of losing a star, but for someone who wants a super fulfilling VR experience, this isn't the best option. It is a perfect gift and the goggles themselves are super comfy. Would recommend.

I wish I didn't buy this. I can't return it because I am overseas.

I have an Oculus Rift and a PSVR already but I've always been interested in the whole "mobile" VR thing. These googles do an OK job of recreating what "real" VR is like. Not great. Not terrible. Just OK. For starters, my iPhone 6S Plus was probably too large. It was able to stretch itself into the slot but it felt like it needed to be pressed down a smidge more than it would allow without locking the device (which would require you to completely remove the phone again to unlock the device). It was serviceable but I feel like a smaller phone would probably fit and work a little better. The google cardboard app is used to set things up. There's an included code you need to scan that's at the very back of one of the little pamphlets. I feel like this should have been it's own card and right up front as it's one of the first things you need. If you don't set up your viewer correctly, the buttons on top probably won't work. The demo app was neat but just a demo. The big issue I had, coming from much higher end VR was the tracking rate. When you moved your head to look around, there was a lot of noticeable stuttering. This could be a result of an older phone, and I'm sure milage will vary by device. The frame rate was not bad at all, though. Again, it will vary by your device but the frame rate on my 2 year old phone was just fine when I wasn't moving my head around. This is the biggest issue that could cause motion sickness so it was nice that the apps were optimized enough. Heat and battery was a little bit of an issue. You're encasing your phone in a pretty tight space and then running a graphically intensive application. This kills the battery fast and removing my phone from the goggles, you can feel the heat. I wouldn't recommend using this for extended periods of time without testing how hot things get first. Overall, it's a decent VR device if your phone is good enough to run at a reasonable frame rate. This is novelty VR. You'll want a Rift, Vive or PSVR if you want REAL VR.

I'm not really into the VR thing but I thought I would give it a try with my wife's prompting. First thing out of the box that you notice is the lightweight, durable construction of the goggles. When you put them on they're very comfortable. They have adjustable eye pieces so you can move them closer together or further apart which is a nice feature so they will work for both kids and adults. They have a limited assortment of different types of apps to download from the Merge site but other VR apps in th Play Store are available. It seems most VR apps are geared toward the kids.

Most comfortable, portable, durable VR. I use this with my iPhone 6S Plus with a slim case. Thicker cases might not fit. To start with, I tried the free games available in the market, and all of them were great. The buttons on both sides gives ease of use. The VR came with the merge cube. Merge cube is a very interesting holographic object that can be used for some exciting games. The only drawback is that there are not many free games in the market. Lenses are of very good quality and the comfort is better than the google cardboard.

I've not used other VR products, so I don't know how this compares. I can only give my experience with this product and with the hardware of this product as software (i.e., apps) will change over time. These are described as being glasses friendly, but I couldn't get a good fit over my relatively small glasses. Your mileage may vary. I ended up just having to hold the goggles up to my face and try several apps. I couldn't get things in focus just right. This may be due to not getting a proper fit over my glasses but I'm not sure. Even my 10 year old (no glasses) said that he couldn't get things in focus either. The lenses in the unit have a sort of grid pattern, so that also affected my/our experience. Imagine looking up close at a CRT TV or monitor and you see all those lines on the screen? That's what this felt like we were doing. The material is thick foam and I don't know how well ventilated it is, but my iPhone got pretty hot inside. Trying several free apps, it was cool but, again, my experience was marred by the issues mentioned above. All in all, these are okay. I guess for the price it's a good introduction into AR/VR, but at at the same time, I think this could even discourage someone from wanting to try out VR/AR.

Most smartphones these days have some sort of virtual reality capability available. With the right apps installed, iOS and Android can both generate separate pictures on each half of the screen, one for your right eye and the other for your left. This creates a 3 dimensional experience. The only thing your smartphone can't do on its own is separate your field of view so that each of your eyes only sees the half of the screen it's supposed to. That's where virtual reality (VR) goggles come in. VR goggles can be as simple as a cardboard cut-out that you unfold and hold against your face, but are available in a range of materials, built quality, and fit. These VR goggles from Merge, with their soft foam material, adjustable head straps, large plastic lenses, and clickable input buttons, are a huge step up from a cardboard cutout, that's for sure. However, they're not quite as high-end as the best VR goggles around. For example, they don't do a perfect job of filtering out ambient light, and aren't as "luxurious" in feel or build construction as the soft cloth premium products. One cool feature of the Merge VR Goggles is the cutout in the front that allows you to expose your phone's camera. This lets you use "Augmented Reality" apps. Instead of seeing a completely virtual world, you see the real world around you but with digital enhancements. I use an Android smartphone, so the first thing I did was download the Google Cardboard app (the name is a reference to the simple cardboard fold-outs that started it all) and use it to scan the code on the Merge VR Goggles. This calibrated my phone's screen to match the goggles. On screen instructions guided me through inserting my phone into the slot in the goggles and learning how to point, click, and go back. From there, I was off and running, exploring virtual worlds, flying through space, and visiting far off lands. Overall, I found the Merge VR Goggles to be easy to use, and relatively comfortable, with clean graphics and an immersive experience. Maybe not the most useful product in the world, but certainly a fun way to show off your smart phone's VR capabilities.

I did some research prior to purchasing the Merge headset, and decided to buy when they went on sale. I'd say they are priced right for the quality of the product. They are very comfortable to wear given the foam construction and they are were very easy to use. The Merge VR website will send you daily content to explore and there are more than enough games etc. available to use. The action buttons work well and it accommodates my iPhone 6s plus. I only have two complaints. One, I've noticed that my phone gets pretty hot when using, I believe its due to the foam trapping in the heat. Second, the lenses adjust independently of each other which is slightly irritating; most headsets the lenses will move equidistant from the center. Overall I'm pleased with the purchase.

This headset is good but not great. My major problem with it is that I have a very hard time getting the phone into a the proper viewing angle. I had a very hard time getting it into focus. Once in focus, you can sometimes get it out of focus on accident because the control buttons are on top of the same things that control the focus. Also, be prepared if your phone is in a case that you have to take it out every time to use this. I didn't think about that before getting it, so I just want to point it out. The app selection is pretty good, but I didn't find many that used the controls and many were not intuitive. Some are great. I loved the ones where you could see places around the world. Honestly, my favorite thing was the Merge Cube. It makes it interactive. Make sure that you have room to turn and a darker room. My overall experience was good, but I do not think that I would recommend this based on the things that I mentioned at the top. You may have a different experience with your phone, but I just did not have the easiest viewing experience.

These are decent VR goggles - they are comfortable and lightweight, but they don't fit all phone sizes well, especially the iPhone 7 Plus. In order to put the phone in properly, the lock button is face down, which sometimes causes some issues. Adding the Merge Cube is what makes them go from average to good. Otherwise, this would be a 3 star review. The triggers add some functionality to your standard goggles as well. Together with the cube, this is a solid product.

Pretty cool - maybe I'm easily impressed though since it is my first VR experience. The headgear is comfortable because it is made from a lightweight but relatively firm foam-like material. It is a bit soft and bendy, but holds my iphone securely. I used the piece that goes over the top of my head because I couldn't help but bobble a little and it felt kind of front-heavy. Focusing was a pain, but that might be me. I wear a weird prescription in glasses even using binoculars can be challenging for me. I wouldn't dock a star for it. I don't know what to say about the visuals - it's awesome, but I can see me getting tired of it after a while. I wish there were more content available. Maybe if I were a kid I'd get a lot of use out of the Merge, but I'm glad I know what kind of VR experience is available at a sub-$100 price point. The whole visual experience reminds me a little of how I felt using a Viewmaster back in the 60's. At that time, and as a kid, the pictures of a Goliath grouper gaping its maw right in my face and steep moutaintop views were as awesome to me then as VR is to me now!

I got these because i thought my teenage boys would like them. I am 50 and not much into video games and VR but when i tried these Merge VR goggles I was amazed. I tried a youtube 360 video of a roller coaster going through many different scenes and it was so real. you just have to let your mind go and enjoy the experience. The goggles themselves are very comfortable. I have had these things on for 1/2 hour maybe 45 minutes at a time and there is no discomfort at all. It is very cool too that you can plug a set of headphones easily into your phone from the side of Merge goggles and have great sound while watching your video. That also helped with the experience that you were actually in the video. My boys have also downloaded the google cardboard app to their phones and there they can find endless VR videos that look amazing on the Merge VR goggles. Parents if you are thinking about getting these for your kids, go ahead and do so because while they are at school you will find yourself using these Merge Goggles for hours of endless entertainment.

Merge VR Goggles These goggles caused mixed emotions from me. I was very impressed with the quality of materials used, the ease of adjusting the fit, and their comfort while worn. The content available on the Merge website is another story. I have used a friend's VR goggles (from another manufacturer) to watch Netflix, and they created the sensation of watching on an enormous screen. My first disappointment was finding that the Merge VR Goggles don't have a similar ability. The next thing I tried was a virtual tour of a cathedral via YouTube 360° video; I was unable to align the picture into a single image, despite trying adjustments on the goggles, my phone, and the app. My next attempt at video was with the free "YouVisit" app. This was much more successful, as the app presents two views that are combined into one by the googles. The picture quality wasn't great (I'm using an iPhone 7), but it was definitely immersive. The disappointment was still present, as the majority of the videos seemed to be ads for cruise lines or tourism, and all were quite brief. App choice in the App Store is a better, but still rather underwhelming. Overall I feel like the Merge Goggles are nice quality, but the inability to function with Netflix makes them second tier option.

I use this with my iPhone 7 and it fits tight without a case. I don't like that I have to take it out to change the settings on the games I wish you could do it through the trigger on it. Makes my face sweat a little and my phone gets hot but the games are un real so cool..The Merge is the most comfortable way to experience mobile virtual reality apps, and "Google Cardboard" apps. It may even be the most comfortable headset for any type of VR, period.

This is a great time passer for kids. My 9 yrs old son loves it. very easy to setup and use, there are plenty of VR apps, and also videos on youtube from National geogaphic, to songs etc... Very good for long car trips. its also good quality with the elastic adjustable straps and the foam body, durable and worked with all phones I tried it with (Huwaei Mate9, Google Pixel XL, and an older HTC one M8 Android).

I received these VR Googles free for an unbiased review and I was really looking forward to trying them out as we had been considering possibly buying a pair from one of the various manufacturers. First off, they’re comfortable and easy to adjust. I can get them on over my glasses, although I do have to remove the glasses with them when taking them off. Adjustment of the lenses is easy and I was surprised how the buttons on the adjustment points worked,with the various apps. Unfortunately the apps were lacking. The first app I tried to download was a GoPro VR app listed right on Verge’s site only to get the message it wasn’t available in the U.S. Not a good start. I tried 6-7 of the free apps both from Verge’s site and third party apps from the Apple App Store, including apps which work with the Verge VR Cube (which I’ll review separately). None of them gave me any reason to spend money ( anywhere from $1 to $50) in the App Store to see if there might be something better. I think there might be a lot of potential but app developers are going to have to show some of this in the free/demo apps if they want users to spend money on possibly better apps.

I have used only the Google Cardboard VR googles before, so I'm not an expert/enthusiast in this area. However, I always felt VR/AR/MR are the next big thing and so opted for the Merge VR. The Merge VR is mostly made up of a kind of foam-like material and is quite comfortable. I really liked the lens setup which is adjustable - I haven't seen any such feature in the cheap VR googles category before. The phone (in my case a OnePlus 5) slides through an opening on the top, and to remove it you have to push it from the bottom - this is not as "frictionless" as it sounds and you may spend a couple of minutes frustratingly pushing the phone to get it out. The straps are comfy and adjustable. I like the optional head-strap as it provides very good support for hands free operation. I have tried out some VR apps with it like the Google Cardboard app, and some small apps from the Merge VR website. I'm mainly interested in the Merge Cube and related apps, which I'm still trying out. The website has a pretty good collection of various apps, but I would like them to add a few more reference materials and tutorials for people new to VR. Overall, I would say that the Merge VR is a very good starter kit, especially for the kids. I'm having a good experience with my Full-HD (1080p) phone, so I'm confident it'll perform better with a Quad-HD display phone. The quality is nice and would recommend it to try out to anyone interested in VR.