REASONS TO BUY
Easy setup
Cheap
REASONS TO AVOID
Not very interactive
Uncomfortable
VR SHINECON Review
The Shinecon isn't the worst we have seen, but it is close
Credit: amazon
By David Wise ⋅ Senior Review Editor ⋅ March 19, 2019
Contributions From: Austin Palmer
RELATED: The Best VR Headset of 2025
Our Verdict
Unfortunately, we were far from impressed with the VR SHINECON. While this VR headset is quite economical, it isn't very good and we would struggle to recommend it. It's uncomfortable to wear after a relatively short amount of time, fails to provide a high level of interactivity, and doesn't give a very visually immersive experience. It is very easy to set up and relatively inexpensive, but there are still better value options out there if you are shopping on a super tight budget.
Our Analysis and Test Results
This headset finished right at the back of the group, only barely outperforming the Bnext and the Canbor. All three of these headsets cost about the same, but the SHINECON is just a little bit more user-friendly, giving it a slight edge.
There are no controllers to use with the SHINECON.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Interactiveness
The SHINECON had a fairly abysmal showing. It doesn't have a handheld controller and only offers a single button on the device that you can use to interact with your phone, which severely limits the amount you can interact with your virtual world.
This headset is also only set up for 3-DOF motion tracking, so you shouldn't walk around when wearing, but you can look around in all directions. This is par for the course for most mobile headsets, with the accuracy of the motion tracking being determined by which smartphone you are using in the device.
Some of our testers had trouble getting the screen in focus.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Visual Immersiveness
The SHINECON claims that it has a field of view between 100°-110°, and it definitely feels like one of the wider fields of view of the entire group. Unfortunately, the viewing quality was still far from great, and we had an incredibly hard time focusing on the image, with text being almost impossible to read unless you closed an eye.
The resolution is dependent on your phone, but the image is reasonably sharp with most newer phones. We liked that the SHINECON blocks out almost all ambient light, but it is hard to overlook the detriments of its focusing issue when considering the visual immersiveness.
Most testers found there to be a lot of pressure on their nose.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Comfort
We didn't find the SHINECON to be particularly comfortable. It fits most faces, but the padding is a bit thin and can cause a pressure point on your nose, depending on its size. There isn't really that much space for glasses, and your face definitely begins to feel a bit sticky or sweaty if it is at all warm when you are wearing it.
The adjustment wheels on top help to get your phone in focus.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
User Friendliness
The SHINECON has integrated ear cups that you plug right into the 3.5 mm headphone port — or an adapter if you have a newer phone without one — making it one of the easiest in terms of audio hookups.
We liked the integrated headphones, but they got in the way when putting them on.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Unfortunately, it was quite a pain to get your phone in the SHINECON. There aren't any markings to help center the phone and you have to hold it at an extremely awkward angle to close it without your phone moving. This is probably our biggest issue with this product, as it makes it almost impossible to get it correctly in focus.
We never had an issue with hitting buttons inadvertently and you can leave most cases on your phone, but the locking latch that holds it in place comes off much more easily when the phone has a thicker case, popping open if you tapped the headset or set it down.
There are no markings to make sure your phone is a good position.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Ease of Setup
The SHINECON requires almost no setup at all, earning it a top score in this metric. The hardware is ready to go out of the box, and the only software to download is installing an app with VR content on your phone, so it takes less than 5 minutes before you are ready to go.
Value
This headset is a poor value, as there are less expensive headsets that perform comparably and other products that are only a little bit more expensive and offer a huge increase in performance.
Conclusion
We weren't fans of the SHINECON and due to the huge pain in aligning your phone and getting the image to focus, wouldn't really recommend it for anyone.
—David Wise and Austin Palmer
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