Qantas trials Samsung virtual reality headsets in first class

....and 'gimmicks' can actually influence peoples purchasing habits...airlines and the world is full of 'gimmicks'....good on QF for tryiing/trialing something different...it may..or may not succeed..or be implimented.

todays 'gimmick'....can become tomorrows reality

...if you dont like it...dont use it..but dont begrudge others that may see a benefit

That's a big word for you this week!

I assume they're getting 'em for free from Samsung.

It's only in F on the SYD-LAX and MEL-LAX flights so that's, what, a couple of dozen pairs? Plus a few more for the F lounge?

Samsung would be crazy not to lend 'em out for free, it's a fabulous chance to show off their latest tech to a bunch of (largely) wealthy and influential people with nothing else to do for fourteen hours. (Plus of course they've just got this free publicity right here. We're talking about 'em and we didn't even get to try 'em.)

I'm interested to see what becomes of VR this time. It made a big splash in the early 90s (remember Dactyl Nightmare?) and then vanished for a long time as it turned out people didn't really like headaches, vertigo and neck cramps. 

they are only having 4 on each aircraft and they are not intended for use for the entire flight. Yes it is a gimmic initialy but lets see how they improve the service and the final implementation

i would guarantee that if VA did this trial, people would be praising it/them for their 'innovation'....and lets not forget that VA also doesnt have inflight wi-fi...but apparently VA are immune to such scrutiny...yes...i'm sick of QFbashing.....

as for...'only invovles those in FIRST'...because it may only be a feature/product given to those in FIRST!!! why offer it to other cabin classes if it wont be offered in other cabin/classes..if it is introduced

I'm personally equally critical of VA's lack of inflight wi-fi. The two of them, with an enormous cross polination of employees, are constantly looking at what the other is doing. Take the new business suites for example.

From an innovation perspective, good on them. From a praciticality perspective, it's nothing but a gimmick.

Agree with Hugo, it's a great move by Samsungs marketing department. 

I'm young and always busting down a first class door when I can.....but not tech savvy. Yet I want to try it. So am I wrong according to your bologna sandwich ?

You're 36 this year Tex, that's not young... Case in point, apart from gimmick value, it does little to enchance the flight experience and attract new customers. It does nothing to reach out to us Gen Y users.

You'd think this would be better for the old J product. You could create a virtual reality where the walls aren't peeling and the plastic isn't yellowing.

As long as you don't get too involved, yes.

The first class experience comes down to sitting in a comfy chair. Or maybe sitting in a narrow bed. Then you watch some TV. Then somebody brings you a meal which will be on par with a moderately-priced restaurant on the ground. Then you get to drink a glass of a fairly expensive drink that you could, nonetheless, have bought a whole bottle of on the ground for a hundredth the cost of this flight.

It's a whole lot better than economy, but it's not something you should spend your life looking forward to. You can replicate the experience at home for, like, a hundred bucks.

haha minus the romance of flying, of course!

Killjoy! ;)

It would be nice I suppose to wear it on the LHR route and have the device loaded with images of Changi airport so that you think you're still transiting through Singapore instead of Dubai :p

How would you virtualise the SIN lounge and, almost as importantly, how would you virtualise the Toast Box or Ya Kun?

Couldn't agree more one of the reasons Qantas lost my busniess ( well first ) on the sector cant stand dubai airport dont mind abu dhabi thought.

Low-rent Borg knock off!!!! I like that!

Your holo deck reference must have framed that universe to my mind. I agree with you, having used a few models of latest "revolutions" VR tech at a trade show, we are still a long way off VR being a realistic, practical and functional tech worth get excited about. It's still beta right now.

One thing that I wonder about, given that these VR headsets have caused some people to be ill, even barf, due to disconnect between their what their eyes see and their middle ear feedback (induced motion sickness), is that their use may not be suited to an enclosed aircraft cabin. Someone vomiting in First would rather lower the tone lol. On the ground at least, plenty of toilets to rush into if worst comes to worst.