Samsung’s Gear VR virtual reality headset has been around for a while now, and you’ve been able to buy one since late in 2014. That was a developer-focused model, though, meant to show off exactly what the Gear VR could do. Today Samsung officially took the wraps off of the consumer version, which is also known as Gear VR.
The new Samsung Gear VR has a slightly tweaked look from the developer version, losing the strap that went on top of the wearer’s head. The new Gear VR is also improved in that it works with the Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 edge, Galaxy Note 5, and Galaxy S6 edge+ rather than just one or two devices. Samsung’s Gear VR will also gain support for Netflix and Twitch.
This new Gear VR will launch in November in time for Black Friday shoppers (Black Friday is on November 27 this year) in the US and worldwide shortly thereafter. Pricing will be set at $99, which is a full $100 less than the developer model. Samsung will also release a Mobile SDK 1.0 in November that’ll enable developers to make content for the Gear VR.
Virtual reality headsets are still in their infancy, and while devices like the Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR look nice, they might be pricey for a lot of consumers. Google Cardboard has been leading the charge for affordable VR experiences, and this new Gear VR looks like it’ll be a nice option for folks that want something a bit nicer than Cardboard but still don’t want to drop hundreds on a higher-end headset.
