Samsung-Oculus Gear VR Available for Pre-Order Today

When Oculus VR and Samsung announced the consumer Gear VR at Oculus Connect in September, they promised that it would arrive before the Black Friday shopping frenzy begins. That said, if you absolutely can’t wait a portable version will be available this month.

Those looking to purchase the virtual reality headset can now do so from Best Buy for the retail price of $99.99, with the device scheduled for release on November 20.

We knew it was coming a few time in November, but Samsung has confirmed that the new Oculus-powered Samsung Gear VR is open for pre-orders in the USA today. While that may sound like a souped-up Google Cardboard, so far convention previews have been positive, suggesting the Gear makes good use of Oculus tech and resources.

We’d expect to see Samsung crank up its marketing to match that.

The Samsung Gear S2 smartwatch, which has just launched in New Zealand, is about to get super styley, with Samsung working with local partners including Kiwi fashion label Stolen Girlfriends Club to offer a range of watch faces and watch bands. Again, this is in addition to the vast array of games and apps already available to Gear VR Innovator Edition owners (all games and apps are compatible with the new Gear VR standard edition as well, of course). This headset is the mobile VR portion of the Oculus/Samsung partnership, allowing users to enter the virtual reality realm with their Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6 edge+, S6, or S6 edge. The app will be ready for the consumer launch of the Gear VR, although it’s not clear just how the title will be distributed.