Arstechnica examined the dangers of using the Samsung Gear VR headset. The dangers were provided by Samsung. Here goes –

“Before purchasing the Innovator Edition from Samsung’s website, you have to certify you’ve read a 1,000-word set of “Gear VR Product Use Warnings”

1) You should take a break of at least 10 to 15 minutes after every half-hour of use, Samsung warns, “even if you do not think you need it.” In addition, children under the age of 13 shouldn’t use the unit at all, and older children should be monitored by adults and play only for limited amounts of time to avoid adverse symptoms.

2) Stop using Gear VR immediately if you experience “seizures, loss of awareness, eye strain, eye or muscle twitching, involuntary movements, altered, blurred, or double vision or other visual abnormalities, dizziness, disorientation, impaired balance, impaired hand-eye coordination, excessive sweating, increased salivation, nausea, light-headedness, discomfort or pain in the head or eyes, drowsiness, fatigue, or any symptoms similar to motion sickness.

3) Prolonged use of the Gear VR and input devices (e.g. controllers) can make your muscles, joints, or skin hurt” or lead to “tingling, numbness, burning, or stiffness.

4) The risk doesn’t stop after you’re done using Gear VR either. Samsung’s warning compares some of these symptoms to those experienced after getting off a cruise ship, in that they “can persist and become more apparent hours after use. You could see “excessive drowsiness and decreased ability to multi-task” after using the Gear VR and shouldn’t drive, operate heavy machinery, or undertake “visually or physically demanding activities that have potentially serious consequences” until those symptoms go away.

5) Because the Gear VR requires “an unimpaired sense of motion and balance,” it shouldn’t be used “when you are tired, need sleep, are under the influence of alcohol or drugs, are hung-over, have digestive problems, are under emotional stress or anxiety, or when suffering from cold, flu, headaches, migraines, or earaches, as this can increase your susceptibility to adverse symptoms.” The Gear VR should always be used while sitting, far away from “other people, objects, stairs, balconies, windows, furniture” that can be bumped. It should also never be used when in a moving vehicle, which Samsung warns could increase the adverse symptoms.

6) Do not handle sharp or otherwise dangerous objects while using the Gear VR. Never wear the Gear VR in situations that require attention, such as walking, bicycling, or driving.”

7) Aside from affecting you, using the Gear VR can also affect the performance of the Galaxy Note 4 strapped inside in the short-term. When used for a long time in the Gear VR, the phone “may become hotter than normal,” leading to “degraded” application performance or outright termination”

Based on all of the above warnings, I’ve decided for the time being not to buy this product and wait to see the side effects suffered by those that use it first. I also don’t fancy my Note 4 being terminated!