Samsung Reveals $99 Consumer GearVR At Oculus Connect
GearVR has been available for the better part of a year now, but the first iterations of the headset were really designed with developers and VR enthusiasts in mind. The hardware was early, though fairly well-refined, and software wasn't readily available. Early this fall, Samsung will finally be ready for a full scale consumer push.
The currently available GearVR headsets are fairly impressive, but they have always been targeted towards developers and early adopters of VR technology. These early headsets worked with only a limited number of devices. The original GearVR was designed to work with the Galaxy Note 4, and several months later the GearVR Innovator Edition was released, which works with the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge smartphones.
Samsung announced on stage at Oculus Connect 2 that the retail version of GearVR will support Samsung's full 2015 lineup of smartphones. The Note 5, Galaxy S6 edge+, Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge will all fit into the upcoming GearVR, which will open VR up to a wider range of Samsung owners.
The consumer version of the headset has undergone some improvements over the previous generation. Samsung said the new headset is lighter and more comfortable than the previous iterations. Early GearVR units included a strap around your head, as well as one that goes over. The headset shown on stage and the images we've seen show that the consumer version doesn't have the top strap.
The company also said that the touchpad on the side of the unit has been improved for better response.
The consumer version of the GearVR will be sold for $99, and Samsung stated that it will be in stores on time for Black Friday in the U.S. The rest of the world will be able to buy it sometime thereafter.
Update, 9/25/15, 7:50am PT: Fixed typos regarding the names of Samsung devices.
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Kevin Carbotte is a contributing writer for Tom's Hardware who primarily covers VR and AR hardware. He has been writing for us for more than four years.
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zblade Note 6 and Note 6 Plus? You should do some research into the Samsung smartphones because the 2015 line up is the Note 5 and the S6 Edge+.Reply -
George Phillips Another Samsung gadget that's destined to fail. Samsung tries to design and sell multiple versions of many things that Apple and others are offering to try to hit one bingo aimlessly. It might be better to aim and then shoot.Reply -
BrandonYoung Maybe Samsung is taking a cue from Microsoft in their numerical naming conventions and skipping the Note 5.Reply -
kcarbotte Reply16680362 said:Another Samsung gadget that's destined to fail. Samsung tries to design and sell multiple versions of many things that Apple and others are offering to try to hit one bingo aimlessly. It might be better to aim and then shoot.
There are plenty of HMD's for smartphones, but GearVR has Oculus backing it (and as the designers for it).
there are already tens of thousands of developers working on apps for GearVR.
Also, the headset is arguably the most refined on the market today.
This is a product that I really think isn't going to fail. None of the other big smartphone makers are doing anything like this. -
kcarbotte Reply16679536 said:Note 6 and Note 6 Plus? You should do some research into the Samsung smartphones because the 2015 line up is the Note 5 and the S6 Edge+.
Thank's for pointing this out.
You are correct, this was a slight brain fart on my part.
The article is being updated. -
therealduckofdeath ReplyHalf the price from last years version... I knew that first one was overpriced.
It was a limited product preview. Mostly for developers. Hence the name "Innovators Edition".