I want to love Galaxy XR and VR, but reality keeps getting in the way

I'm not buying the Galaxy XR headset. Not just because it isn't available in my region, but because it's a headset. It isn't something that pertains to Samsung only, but something that comes with the form factor. Galaxy XR has some of the same downsides that hinder any other XR or VR headset, and one of them is the trouble you have to go through if you wear prescription glasses.

I do. And unfortunately, my need for prescription glasses (along with the narrow field of view of most headsets) has been one of the main issues that kept me from jumping on the VR bandwagon all these years. Galaxy XR hasn't changed that.

To be clear, it's not impossible for someone who needs prescription glasses to use VR or XR headsets. Samsung is even trying to make things easier for you. But it's just another hurdle you must be willing to overcome — and pay extra for the privilege. And I am not.

Because of how VR/XR and stereoscopy work, your vision problems will be the same in the virtual world as they are in the real one. If you suffer from nearsightedness and objects at a distance appear blurry, you will experience the same issue when you try to focus your vision on VR objects rendered at a greater distance by your headset.

To combat this, you may think that you can wear your prescription glasses inside the VR/XR headset. And maybe you can, but that comes with a few issues of its own, which is why manufacturers don't recommend it.

The best solution is to buy prescription lenses for your specific VR headset. Fortunately, Samsung offers this service for the Galaxy XR, and you can use your existing prescription to order special lenses for your headset for $99.

But that is precisely why I can't get on board with VR headsets in general — not just Galaxy XR. I have nearsightedness and would need to get those special lenses at a cost.

And not only do I not want to spend an extra $99 for lenses, but the issues that have always bugged me regarding special VR headset lenses persist even to this day.

It all just sounds too inconvenient and even costly. Of course, none of this would be an issue had I not needed prescription glasses, but I do. And unfortunately, they don't seem to go all that well with any VR/XR headset.

I know this might not sound like a big deal to some readers, or maybe it sounds like a fair price to pay for the XR experience. Maybe it is. But not for me, because, when it comes to electronics and entertainment, I place great value on ease of use and convenience.

I speak from experience. Here's an example: A few years ago, I used to enjoy sim racing on my PC. But because my PC was not dedicated to sim racing and was doing double or triple duty, I always had to spend some time and energy fitting my racing wheel and pedals to my desk whenever I wanted to take my virtual cars out for a ride.

It was worth it at first, but after a while, I just got tired of doing it every time I wanted to pretend like I'm racing. In the end, my options were to create a dedicated sim racing rig or give up on the whole thing. Due to lack of space and other constraints, I gave up on it.

And that's the problem. With Galaxy XR and other VR headsets, I feel like the same story would happen again. Even if I buy my first pair of prescription XR lenses, the moment my eyesight changes and I need to buy new glasses, I will likely give up on the whole XR thing because it's too annoying to deal with.

The honeymoon would be over and I wouldn't be willing to spend another $99 for another pair of lenses. My Galaxy XR would end up gathering dust next to my sim racing wheel.

So, sorry, Samsung. Even if you bring Galaxy XR to other markets, I don't think I'll ever want to deal with all the shortcomings that are native to every other VR headset. The format is probably not for me. Maybe XR glasses will make things easier, but we'll have to wait and see.