Samsung has opened US pre-orders for the first consumer-ready edition of its Gear VR headset.
The Samsung Gear VR can be reserved from Best Buy for the cheaper price of $99, with delivery expected on 20 November.
Samsung’s latest headset, made in partnership with Oculus, is compatible with the firm’s 2015 flagship handsets.
Owners of the Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6 Edge+ and Galaxy S6 among others, will be able to load their handset into the new Gear VR and experience the eye-popping visuals.
The new edition is lighter, more comfortable and features better motion sensors for head-tracking.
Previous releases have gone under the developer-friendly title of Innovator Edition, but this one is ready for consumers and costs half the price.
Samsung is also equipping every Gear VR with a 16GB microSD card loaded with 360-degree videos and 3D movie trailers.
There are also 20 arcade classics to play from the Oculus Arcade, while users can enjoy an immersive cinema-like experience using the Netflix app (via The Verge).
The release comes at a big moment for VR, with the HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR all expected in the first few months of 2016.
There’s also more content coming our way too. Last week, YouTube announced its Android app is now compatible with Cardboard headsets.
We’ve reached out to Samsung for clarification on when the new Gear VR will arrive in the UK.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
