Mobile VR Station® vs Alpha 1
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Mobile VR Station®
Immerse yourself in your media with this virtual reality media player. View photos, panoramas, and videos on a large virtual screen with head tracking. Supports 2D and 3D content, offering a customizable viewing experience for various VR headsets.
- Virtual screen media playback
- Head tracking support
- 2D and 3D content display
- Customizable viewing profiles
- UPNP for external content
- Subtitle support (.srt files)
- Bluetooth remote control
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Mobile VR Station is a media player designed for Virtual Reality with head tracking. With this app you can view your Photos, Panoramas, Videos & Files projected onto a virtual screen floating in space. Our app supports displaying standard 2D and 3D Side By Side/Over Under content. The app can't display DRM protected content, such as content bought from iTunes. "The most feature-packed VR media player available, with editable profiles that let you adjust the viewing experience across multiple devices and VR adapters. Excellent all around!" -Quote from Manuel M, Beta Tester If you need help we provide links inside the app to view our Facebook, Twitter and YouTube channel. Usages: - Works with every headset, very flexible configuration - Watch movies in a virtual theater - Watch 3D 180 Degree content. - Explore 360/Spherical movies (Great for demos). - Experience 3D content (Left/Right, Right/Left and Top/Bottom). - See your device's photos & videos in a new way. - View panoramas with some depth. - Access external video content with UPNP. - Watch HTML5 Video from Mobile Safari with Micro VR Station extension. Details: - Native App, written in Obj-C with SceneKit - Watch App for Remote control capabalities - This app is currently only available in English - Free version limits video playback to the "first" five minutes. - Supported formats: MOV, MP4 & M4V. - Supported HMDs: None (Mono), None (SBS), Cardboard, Altergaze, Firefly, Custom, .... - Cardboard QR scanner available for quick setup - Supported Devices: Any device running iOS 8.1 can install the app, but iPhone 5S/iPad Mini (Retina) and above provide a great experience. - Projections: Dome, Full Dome, Curved (Large curve), Plane (Flat), Cylinder & Spherical - Skyboxes: 47 built in options. - Profiles: Each user/headset can have their own specific configuration. - Audio: Language switching available. - Subtitles: The app can load UTF-8 formatted *.srt files, after a movie has been started - Files: Each file has its own preview icon and meta data. You can either generate a icon or upload your own. Please see the FAQ on how to make your own icons. - Bluetooth Remote: If your headset has Play/Pause & Next/Previous buttons, you can use them to control video playback. - UPNP: Basic support for viewing & downloading video & image content. Music can play if you mess with a few settings. - Other File Formats: We are researching how other formats and higher quality content could be displayed, we understand the need and want to deliver in the future. -1080P @ 60 FPS is available on 5S+ and beyond. Devices under 5S should consume 720P. - 4K @ 30FPS is available for 6S, 6S+, 5SE & iPad Pro - Support for SanDisk™ iXpand Drives - Please see the guide book for more information Tips: - If video playback starts to lockup, or a setting doesn't stick please turn your device off and on again. - It's strongly recommended to go through Training at least once and check out the help videos if you have time. - Every projection is editable, just dig into "Manage Presets" for the details. - If you really need help, ask on our Facebook page, Twitter account, or reddit /r/iOSVR/ Controls: - MFI Controller/Bluetooth keyboard support (While in VR). - When not using a HMD device buttons can be tapped. - Tap anywhere in the right eye or empty space to recenter view. - Tap 3 fingers on screen to quickly exit VR. - Support for Occipital Bridge Controller
Alpha 1
Control and interact with robots using Bluetooth. Download actions from the internet, design your own, and use your phone as a remote control for games like football and fighting. The app also allows for robot information retrieval and firmware upgrades.
- Bluetooth robot control
- Downloadable actions
- User-designed actions
- Phone as remote control
- Robot information and firmware upgrade
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Alpha 1 is to implement a software to interact with robots, this software using the bluetooth BLE protocol to transmit control command, implementation and robot interaction, let robot singing and dancing, tai chi, etc. Specific functions as follows: 1, via bluetooth control robot to perform the specified action 2, downloaded all kinds of actions from the Internet and let the robot to perform them 3, the mobile phone as a remote control panel to control the robot to play football, play fighting,etc 4, read the robot information and upgrade it's firmware 5, user can design actions for robot.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Mobile VR Station® at 67% against Alpha 1's 0%. Mobile VR Station® also leads on rating (4.1 vs 3.1) and ratings volume (512 vs 24). Alpha 1's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5) and update cadence (monthly vs every 4 months). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Mobile VR Station® sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Alpha 1 asks for nothing beyond the download.
Mobile VR Station® holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mobile VR Station® has 512 ratings behind it against 24, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of Mobile VR Station®'s written reviews are positive against 0% of Alpha 1's.
Mobile VR Station® ships an update every 4 months, Alpha 1 monthly. The most recent releases landed on August 20, 2026 and July 4, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Mobile VR Station® | Alpha 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.1 (512 ratings) — better | 3.1 (24 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 66.5% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 512 — better | 24 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | 8.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 77 MB | 77 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Michael Fuller | UBTECH ROBOTICS CORP |
Customer experience
Mobile VR Station®
Alpha 1
Bugs and requests
Mobile VR Station®
Reported bugs
3 issues- Crashes when trying to play certain video files
- Head tracking issues on some devices
- Buffering problems when streaming content
Requested features
4 requests- Add support for 4K and higher resolution videos
- Integrate web browser for more VR content
- Improve file management and navigation
- Provide better documentation and tutorials
Alpha 1
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Mobile VR Station®
- Micro Player - Lift Safari Extension Limit$1.99
- Protected Drives$1.99
- Presentation+$1.99
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- Premium Edition - Remove 5 Minute Limit$2.99
- Ultimate Edition - Everything$5.99
Alpha 1
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Mobile VR Station® free?
Is Alpha 1 free?
Which has better reviews, Mobile VR Station® or Alpha 1?
Do Mobile VR Station® or Alpha 1 have ads?
Which is updated more often, Mobile VR Station® or Alpha 1?
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