Cynoculars is a virtual reality headset which offers consumers VR at a fraction of the cost. Read our Cynoculars review.
About Cynoculars
Cynoculars is a VR headset which uses your smartphone to offer immersive 360 virtual reality technology. The official product website is cynoculars.com, which was registered in May 2016. Below is a screen capture showing the official website as it appeared in August 2016.
Claims & Features
- Virtual reality using your smart phone
- Fits phones up to 3.875″ wide by 6″ high
- 360-degree view
- Lightweight and comfortable
- Adjustable pupil and focal point distances
- Adjustable head strap
Cost
Cynoculars is offered online for $19.95 + $7.95 shipping for a total cost of $27.90. There is a 30 day money back guarantee, minus shipping.
You can find Cynoculars in stores such as Walmart or Bed Bath & Beyond for about $20.
Cynoculars Review
Cynoculars is a virtual reality headset which uses your smartphone to deliver an inexpensive VR experience, and is one of several VR headsets to advertise on television in 2016. You can install thousands of virtual reality apps from the Apple or Android stores onto your phone that are compatible with Cynoculars.
To use Cynoculars, you place your smartphone in the included cartridge, then re-insert it back into the headset, and it’s ready to use. Most current smartphones should have no problem fitting into the cartridge, including such popular devices as the iPhone 7 Plus.
A Bluetooth controller is also included which is designed to help you interact with games and other apps. I found this controller to be the most problematic component of Cynoculars. Although I was able to pair it with Apple and Android devices, I could find no apps that recognized it. The only useful function of the controller was to adjust the volume. Other reviewers online have complained about the lack of a functional controller. There are many VR games which don’t require a controller at all, and it may not be a problem with those types of apps.
Virtual Reality is experienced in a 360 degree environment, meaning that you can move your head to look in any direction while using the app. Be sure to check out the popular 360 channel on YouTube for a large selection of VR videos. 2D videos can also be watched with the sensation that you are sitting in a movie theater.
I like how you can easily fine-tune the lenses with adjustments in two directions, and the lenses are of an acceptable quality. I found the headset to be far more comfortable than several other headsets in this price range that I’ve tried.
There are a few “cons” which should be mentioned. Motion sickness is a common complaint among those new to VR, and this is not unique to Cynoculars. How much motion sickness (if any) seems largely dependent on what you are viewing. Static placement of the camera tends to cause less motion sickness than a moving or jerking camera. Thus, if you do start to experience motion sickness, look for 360 videos shot from a static location (such as a tripod) to minimize motion sickness.
Overall, Cynoculars is an “OK” entrant in the low-end virtual reality headset arena, but the controller is a glaring weakness. It offers most of the basic function one would expect with such a device. The remote doesn’t seem to work with as many apps as we expected, but the headset is on the more comfortable end of the scale for this price range.
Video Review
You can see my hands-on video review below. And while you’re at it, subscribe to our YouTube channel to see the latest As Seen on TV product reviews.
Alternatives
The VR headset market has exploded in recent months, and new models are appearing at a dizzying rate. Oculus Rift is at the top of the heap, costing $700-$800. It requires a robust computer, and doesn’t work with a smartphone. The top of the line smartphone VR headset is probably the Samsung Gear VR, with a wide field of view and high consumer rating.
You can find a number of popular virtual reality headsets in the $15-$30 price range which are similar to Cynoculars. Most of these lower end headsets adhere to the Google Cardboard platform and offer the same basic functionality.
Television Commercial
Your Cynoculars Reviews
What do you think of Cynoculars? Give us your opinion in the comments below and leave a star rating above.
Updated: December 2016
This isn’t a review. It’s an ad.
They seem to work well with my Note 4. I don’t think they would work as well with a smaller phone. I thought the result was better than my wife’s Samsung VR viewer and her Galaxy 7, which had poor resolution because it expended the field of view, and insists on going into Oculus VR.
The headset is very comfortable to wear and the adjustments give you good optical control. The remote however is poor, at best. The joystick moves a cursor on the screen, but does not allow scrolling, so selections are difficult.
in my opinion it is worth the money it is but should be maybe $25 and free shipping. the remote is not that good they need to update the remote.
I bought this for $7.99 on sale at Menards. I figured it was too good to be true and it was. It was absolute garbage, even for $7.99. The field of vision is so small and narrow, you can see the edges of your phone. Even with a Galaxy S8 it looked bad. My Google cardboard is way better than this thing. I returned it for a refund.