Virtual reality fans and holiday shoppers can now preorder the $99 Samsung Gear VR headset at Amazon and Best Buy. It was a joint venture with Facebook's Oculus VR. Gear VR is the first virtual reality headset developed for consumers, and allows users to enjoy immersive photos, videos, and games when connected to a Samsung Galaxy smartphone.
Gear VR is compatible with the latest Samsung mobile phones. They include the Galaxy S6, S6 Edge, S6 Edge+ and Note 5.
Samsung Gear VR is a headset with a mobile phone inside, which is strapped to the user's head. Lenses magnify the smartphone's touchscreen, which creates the illusion that it wraps around the wearer's field of vision.
Sensors in the headset and smartphone detect when the user turns their head. This causes adjustments in the images, which creates the illusion of being located in another world.
Gear VR owners can enjoy a big library of TV shows and movies from Netflix. Several films are also available from 20th Century Fox and Lionsgate. The device also features 9,000 Vimeo videos and tons of 360-degree photos.
Oculus has developed brand new VR games. They include the titles "Bandit Six: Salvo," "Land's End," and "Dead Secret," which allow players to enjoy immersive experiences such as fighting enemy spaceships in outer space, and exploring other planets' terrain, according to CNET
The VR company has also released "Oculus Arcade." It gives people the experience of playing classic games such as Pac-Man on arcade machines, according to Tech Crunch.
Oculus has promised that more titles are on the way. Such casual games helped to boost Nintendo Wii's popularity.
The new virtual reality headset will test the market's demand. That includes issues such as popularity among gamers, and the required Samsung smartphone.
Other companies are also developing virtual reality devices. Google Cardboard is a build-it-yourself VR headset that is compatible with iPhones and Android devices, while Sony's PlayStation VR is a work in progress.
The Gear VR is available for preorder now and will start shipping on November 20. Meanwhile, the Oculus Rift headset will be rolled out early next year.
Here is a Samsung Gear VR demo: