Ahead of the Christmas rush this November, Samsung has confirmed it is to sell its first consumer Gear VR headset that will be compatible with its 2015 flagship phones, and it will cost US$99.
The Samsung Gear VR was first announced back in July 2014 with the South Korean company pulling off something of a coup to partner with arguably the leading virtual reality (VR) headset maker, Oculus.
Since then, like the other major VR headsets in development, including the Oculus Rift, the Gear VR has only been available as a ‘Gear VR Innovator Edition’ for developers to work on and for demoing the technology at major events.
Now, however, Samsung said we can expect to see the first consumer version begin to hit the shelves later this year with a few new tweaks and additions to the headset.
Some of the updates to the headset are to make it easier for people to get involved with it, including making it 22pc lighter than the Innovator Edition as well as some additional foam cushioning to make it easier to wear.
Samsung also said it has given its touchpad a major update, but did not go into the specifics as to what this actually entails.
What has caught most people’s attention, however, is the price which, at US$99, is more than half of what the Innovator Edition cost and, being a Samsung product, it will only be compatible with its current flagship phones including the Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6 edge+, S6 and S6 edge.
According to PC World, the Gear VR will also have access to the Oculus Arcade, which will likely let you play a range of classic arcade games.
Samsung Gear VR Innovator Edition image via TechStage/Flickr
