Virtual reality is increasingly normal and within reach of consumers as each day passes.
With that, you have many opportunities to experience video games and movies in a way that you never have before.
That’s why today, we will discuss the best VR cinema apps that are currently available on the market.
Winner
Skybox VR Player
This is the best local media player that you can get for your virtual reality headset. You don’t even have to set up the format since the app detects it for you and applies the settings itself.
Runner Up
Prime Video VR
With the VR version of the Prime Video app, you get access to Amazon’s extensive library of movies and TV shows available in VR. You can also easily watch all the content that is 2D as well.
Also Great
Netflix VR
Netflix VR works similar to Prime Video VR as you get access to all the movies and TV shows available on Netflix to watch on your VR headset. It’s a great way to experience media in a completely new way.
Now that you know what our top picks are, let’s discuss them thoroughly so that you can choose the most suitable one for your needs.
Best VR Cinema App - Top 3 Reviews
#1: Best All-Around VR Cinema App - Skybox VR Player Review
The Skybox VR Player is the ultimate video player to get if you want to watch movies, Youtube, or even local videos with your VR headset.
You don’t need to manually set the video format with this VR player as it automatically detects the video format of your video files.
This allows you to skip the technicalities and start watching movies instantly. It’s an extremely user-friendly app that both veterans, as well as beginners, will appreciate.
Factors to Consider Before you Decide to Buy Skybox VR Player
Price: It’s not too expensive of an app but considering the fact that it used to be free, it does hurt a little bit to think about. Still though, we definitely feel the price is not too much, and it’s more than justified.
User-friendliness: As mentioned earlier, the Skybox VR player does most of the job for you. It’s extremely intuitive to use and easy to get the hang of.
Compatibility: It works with all types of video formats such as MP4, AVI, MOV, VR, 2D, 180° , 360° and so on.
- Works with a variety of operating systems
- Works with a variety of VR headsets
- Detects video format automatically
- Great compatibility
- User-friendly
- Used to be free but it’s not anymore
Best All-Around VR Cinema App
The best all-around VR cinema app is the Skybox VR Player thanks to its user-friendliness, wide compatibility and sleek UI design.
#2: Best 4K VR Cinema App - Prime Video VR Review
With Prime Video VR, you get to watch VR movies, both Amazon Prime originals as well as other award-winning movies within their catalog, with ease.
The app is very easy to configure as well as simple to use.
Not only do you get access to the original, vast Prime Video library but also an exclusive look at some original VR content as well.
Factors to Consider Before you Decide to Buy Prime Video VR
Price: All you need is to be an Amazon Prime member in order to get your hands on Prime Video VR.
User-friendliness: As mentioned earlier, the app is very easy to use on pretty much all VR devices that can run it.
Compatibility: The app is available not only on Oculus Quest 2 and other high-end VR headsets but also on mobile-based VR headsets such as the Samsung Gear VR.
- Can play both 2D and 3D content
- Vast library of content
- Free if you’re an Amazon Prime member
- Easy to set up
- User-friendly
- Some users encounter bugs and errors that take a while to fix
Best 4K VR Cinema App
The best 4K VR cinema app is Prime Video VR thanks to its optimized 4K support, user-friendliness, and extensive headset compatibility.
#3: Best VR Cinema App with Vast Library - Netflix VR Review
Netflix is pretty much a household name at this point. This giant within streaming services is no stranger to VR and you can check out its vast library within your VR headset with this app.
Similar to Prime Video VR, you can experience both 2D as well as 3D content within the app with ease. It’s very simple to use and you can get it for free if you already have an active Netflix subscription.
Factors to Consider Before you Decide to Buy Netflix VR
Price: As mentioned above, all you need is an active Netflix subscription to take advantage of Netflix VR.
User-friendliness: The app is very simple to use on mobile devices as well as on PC. The user interface is super intuitive and does not require too much effort from the user.
In fact, if you’re not quite sure what to watch, the recommendations are actually quite helpful as well. These are based on your previous watches and content that you may have added to your watch list.
Compatibility: The Netflix VR app is available as a PC app as well as a smartphone app (both Android as well as iOS devices). You can easily use it with a variety of different VR headsets.
- Recommendations are quite helpful
- Can be used to watch 2D content as well
- Vast library of content
- Responsive, intuitive UI
- Sleek interface
- Requires a Netflix account
Best VR Cinema App with Vast Library
The best VR cinema app with a vast library is Netflix VR thanks to its never-ending content that is constantly growing as well. The fact that you can watch 2D content as well really adds to the usefulness and longevity of the Netflix VR app.
Buyers’ Guide
Price
When you browse the Play Store or any other online store for any type of VR app, it’s important to consider how much it costs.
When you consider the price of apps, it’s important to take into account how much value you will receive for the price.
For example, some apps may be priced quite high. However, that price tag may be justified due to the fact that the app may have a lot of value to provide to you. This could be through extensive convenience or through a vast library of media to choose from, etc.
Whether that value is worth the price of the product is up to you to decide.
Of course, you will come across apps that don’t have a ton of value to offer but will still be priced quite highly. Naturally, these are the VR cinema apps that you need to avoid at all costs as they’ll just be a waste of money.
Check out user reviews for VR apps to ensure that you get your money’s worth.
User-Friendliness
Of course, when you look for an app to watch VR content such as VR movies and VR videos on, you want the app to be user-friendly.
There’s nothing more frustrating than an unintuitive app. This frustration increases tenfold when that app is a VR app. Just think about it, when you wear a clunky, stuffy headset to experience something, you want to get to that experience as soon as possible.
You don’t want your immersion ruined by clunky UI, unintuitive menus or unresponsive screens.
Hence, user-friendliness is something that you should give high priority. You can get an idea of how an app works and behaves by checking out tutorials and videos of it online.
You can also check out user reviews to get a further idea of what others VR users think about it.
Compatibility
There are many different VR platforms that you can use to watch movies. Hence, you have to understand what platform you have access to and then, check out the apps available on that platform.
Naturally, you want to go for an app that actually runs well on the VR device that you have. Some VR apps may have versions that work well on a certain platform but don’t work well on others.
This is why it’s important to check out reviews and do your research to ensure that the app you intend to get works well on the VR platform that you have.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can You Watch 2D Movies in Virtual Reality?
Yes, you can easily watch 2D Movies with a VR headset. However, it’s important to note that the experience won’t be the same as watching 3D movies in VR.
When you watch a 2D movie with a VR headset, a screen will be displayed to you on which the movie will be playing. It won’t feel like you’re “inside” the movie, as it does with a 3D movie.
Can You Watch Movies Without a Break in VR?
While you can definitely do so, it’s advisable that you take at least one break throughout the entire session to ensure you don’t have any eye strain issues.
It’s usually recommended that you take a 15-minute break after every 1 hour of virtual reality.
What Should I Do to Prevent My VR Headset from Fogging Up While Watching Movies?
This typically happens because there’s not enough airflow within the VR headset.
To fix this, you can adjust the head strap to make the inside of the VR headset more ventilated. This will prevent the headset from fogging up in the future.
Can VR Damage My Eyes?
No. There’s no evidence to show that VR does any permanent damage to your eyes.
It should be noted, however, that extended sessions can definitely cause strain on your eyes. This is temporary, however. It can easily be fixed by taking a break from VR for a short while (a couple of hours).
Final Verdict
That’s the end of our post for the best VR apps you can find on the market currently to watch movies.
We feel that if you want to watch local files in VR, then the Skybox VR Player is your best bet.
However, if you want to stream VR content, then you may want to go for either Prime Video VR or Netflix VR. Your choice between these two will depend on whose video library you like more.
Obviously, that’s more of a personal preference thing than an objective fact so, we’ll leave that up to you.
Which VR cinema app do you think is the best? Let us know in the comments section below.