Samsung Gear VR For Galaxy S6, S6 edge Now Available For $199

News
By Rexly Peñaflorida
published

Last month, Samsung opened its digital doors for pre-orders on the Gear VR Innovator Edition for the Galaxy S6 and the S6 edge. Today, both versions of the mobile VR headset are finally available online for $199.

This new version of the Gear VR Innovator Edition only works for the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge. The original head-mounted display (HMD) featured a Galaxy Note 4, but the updated HMD doesn't support backwards compatibility with the Galaxy Note 4.

For those who want to try out the Gear VR Innovator Edition in person before making a purchase, the HMDs will be on sale at select Best Buy retail stores on May 15. The Gear VR Innovator Edition will also continue to expand to more Best Buy locations throughout the summer.

Considering the cost of the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge, it might be a while until you get your hands on a Gear VR Innovator Edition, but if you want a taste of what's to come for mobile VR, this is likely going to be one of the best experiences to date.

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Rexly Peñaflorida
12 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Vlad Rose
    You may want to add that they have an Innovator Edition for the Note 4 and Note Edge as well since the way the article sounded, it made it seem like Samsung was abandoning those users.

    http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/wearable-tech/SM-R320NPWSXAR
    Reply
  • airborn824
    So what is the point in this for phones? I thought there was already one on the market for the S5, why would you need a separate one for the S6? That is not how you get VR to sell
    Reply
  • Vlad Rose
    the one for the s5 is last gen, ie not innovator edition.
    Reply
  • thundervore
    This is thing is a failure due to cooling. After using one at a Samsung Tech show demo the Galaxy 6 inside kept overheating and would crash the content. So unless you are playing in an air conditioned room or in the middle of winter this thing will seriously annoy you.
    Reply
  • thegreatjombie
    @Vlad The Note 4's Gear VR was released last year. If Sammie doesnt upgrade the Note 4's Gear VR to match the changes in the S6 Gear VR release, then it would seem Sammie is indeed abandoning those users. Its probably still on sale just to clear out inventory.
    Reply
  • Ninjawithagun
    @ Vlad Rose +1 Thank you for that valuable information :-)
    Reply
  • scolaner
    @Vlad The Note 4's Gear VR was released last year. If Sammie doesnt upgrade the Note 4's Gear VR to match the changes in the S6 Gear VR release, then it would seem Sammie is indeed abandoning those users. Its probably still on sale just to clear out inventory.

    I don't think it's quite that simple. They've had to tailor each headset to each handset. That doesn't mean Samsung is "abandoning" anyone, just that there are more options for more phones.

    Now, is the above a sound strategy? I don't know, but that's a separate issue.
    Reply
  • Ninjawithagun
    To be honest, I don't think the VR headsets are selling well at all. The primary market for VR headset tech is the PC gaming and gaming console consumers. Most smart phone users will just think it's a novelty at most. Market strategy must be focused on where the most profit can be made and not just to impress the very few rich people. I have found that even the most rich people are completely tech stupid. It's the middle and upper class economy population that makes up the majority of all sales profits.
    Reply
  • Vlad Rose
    15845315 said:
    To be honest, I don't think the VR headsets are selling well at all. The primary market for VR headset tech is the PC gaming and gaming console consumers. Most smart phone users will just think it's a novelty at most. Market strategy must be focused on where the most profit can be made and not just to impress the very few rich people. I have found that even the most rich people are completely tech stupid. It's the middle and upper class economy population that makes up the majority of all sales profits.

    Yeah, the VR headsets are more of a gimmick and are not selling well at all. Not many apps are written for it either. At least it's a selling point for Samsung phones though; which is probably their bigger intent. "Buy a Samsung phone, look at all the things you can do with it over the competition!" should be their slogan.
    Reply
  • scolaner
    15846358 said:
    15845315 said:
    To be honest, I don't think the VR headsets are selling well at all. The primary market for VR headset tech is the PC gaming and gaming console consumers. Most smart phone users will just think it's a novelty at most. Market strategy must be focused on where the most profit can be made and not just to impress the very few rich people. I have found that even the most rich people are completely tech stupid. It's the middle and upper class economy population that makes up the majority of all sales profits.

    Yeah, the VR headsets are more of a gimmick and are not selling well at all. Not many apps are written for it either. At least it's a selling point for Samsung phones though; which is probably their bigger intent. "Buy a Samsung phone, look at all the things you can do with it over the competition!" should be their slogan.

    I disagree--no, I can say with confidence that you are wrong--that these headsets are a gimmick. Have you ever used one?

    Look, Gear VR is no Oculus Rift/OSVR/Vive, but it's not a joke. The experience is really something.

    For instance, there's a Temple Run-type game. When your character runs over a large bump in the path and drops down, you can feel it in your stomach--like when you're on a roller coaster.

    Anyone else tested one out? Back me up here. :)
    Reply