Consumers will now be able to experience virtual reality as the Oculus-powered Samsung Gear VR has become available. True to its earlier promise, the Gear VR by the South Korea-based tech giant is a true consumer version, with its price set at $99.
Meanwhile, although the $99 price tag is an advantage in terms of market interest, it also became a drawback for those who were patiently waiting for the product to become commercially available, as stocks went out about 12 hours after initial launch. The partner retailers listed on the Oculus page, Amazon and Best Buy, list the Gear VR as currently "temporarily out of stock."
Meanwhile, although the VR headset itself is powered by Oculus, the Gear VR has been designed primarily to work with Samsung devices. According to its specs sheet, the Samsung Gear VR is compatible only with select Samsung phones, particularly with the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge. The Samsung Gear VR is also compatible with newer releases like the Galaxy Note 5 and the Galaxy S6 Edge+ but it will require a software update from the user's carrier.
In addition, although the Samsung Gear VR is powered by Oculus, the South Korean tech giant managed to come out with just a $100 price tag by balancing the most basic of VR experience with premium look and feel, noted The Verge. While it may not compare that much to other task-specific headsets like Oculus's own Rift, it compensates by making VR a comfortable yet satisfying experience, particularly for first-timers, without breaking the bank like the reported $3,000 developer's edition for Sony's PlayStation VR (the renamed Project Morpheus).
Meanwhile, although Amazon and Best Buy will more likely take out second and third batches of the Samsung Gear VR due to increasing interest on the consumer market, the VR headset is apparently available on Samsung's own website, but only for U.S. residents. Samsung still has to come out with the global release dates for its newest addition to its tech lineup.
