Samsung Gear VR Headset Receives Galaxy S6-Inspired Makeover
The one real knock against Samsung's Gear VR Innovator Edition headset is that it's only compatible with the Galaxy Note 4, leaving owners of every other handset sitting on the sidelines to watch in envy. Everyone except for Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge owners, that is. Samsung has designed a new model specifically for owners of its latest flagship Galaxy phones, and it's available to pre-order from Best Buy's website.
While Best Buy gets exclusive dibs on pre-order sales, you'll be able to buy an updated "Gear VR Innovator Edition for S6," as it's called, online at Samsung.com/GearVR and BestBuy.com on Friday, May 8. In store sales at Best Buy retail locations will kick off Friday, May 15, with Gear VR demonstrations and availability expanding to hundreds of Best Buy stores throughout the summer.
"We’re excited to bring our amazing virtual reality offerings to even more people with the Gear VR Innovator Edition for S6," said Nick DiCarlo, vice president and general manager of immersive products and virtual reality at Samsung Electronics America. "The continued expansion and availability of the Gear VR platform is a strong signal to VR developers and content creators about the viability of this new opportunity. Along with our great partners Oculus and Best Buy, we’re pushing this mobile VR revolution forward and are grateful to work with the amazingly open and passionate VR community."
Pre-order pricing has been set at $250, which is $50 more than the original Gear VR for Galaxy Note 4 devices. That's disappointing, though to be fair, it's not a totally arbitrary price hike -- the redesigned Gear VR for S6 devices is smaller, sports redesigned straps, and offers improved airflow with a built-in fan for superior ventilation. Overall, it's supposed to be a more comfortable headset.
The actual performance will be better as well, though that's a result of the hardware inside the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge.
If you're interested in pre-ordering the Gear VR from Best Buy's website, head here.
While Best Buy gets exclusive dibs on pre-order sales, you'll be able to buy an updated "Gear VR Innovator Edition for S6," as it's called, online at Samsung.com/GearVR and BestBuy.com on Friday, May 8. In store sales at Best Buy retail locations will kick off Friday, May 15, with Gear VR demonstrations and availability expanding to hundreds of Best Buy stores throughout the summer.
"We’re excited to bring our amazing virtual reality offerings to even more people with the Gear VR Innovator Edition for S6," said Nick DiCarlo, vice president and general manager of immersive products and virtual reality at Samsung Electronics America. "The continued expansion and availability of the Gear VR platform is a strong signal to VR developers and content creators about the viability of this new opportunity. Along with our great partners Oculus and Best Buy, we’re pushing this mobile VR revolution forward and are grateful to work with the amazingly open and passionate VR community."
Pre-order pricing has been set at $250, which is $50 more than the original Gear VR for Galaxy Note 4 devices. That's disappointing, though to be fair, it's not a totally arbitrary price hike -- the redesigned Gear VR for S6 devices is smaller, sports redesigned straps, and offers improved airflow with a built-in fan for superior ventilation. Overall, it's supposed to be a more comfortable headset.
The actual performance will be better as well, though that's a result of the hardware inside the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge.
If you're interested in pre-ordering the Gear VR from Best Buy's website, head here.
