Samsung, Facebook's Oculus Plan November Launch For $99 Gear VR Headset

An anonymous reader writes: Samsung has unveiled a new version of its virtual reality headset, the Gear VR, that it plans to sell starting in November for $99. The headset will be compatible with all of Samsung's flagship smartphones. "With mobile VR, you only need a great mobile game device and a smartphone," said Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe, speaking at the company's developer conference.

Comments

does it work with iphones?

[Spy Handler]

TFA says: "The headset, called the Gear VR, will cost $99 and work with mobile devices, including Samsung's lineup of phones from this year"

Not exactly stellar reporting there by Cnet.

Re:does it work with iphones?

[JustAnotherOldGuy]

Not exactly stellar reporting there by Cnet.

I remember when Cnet was good.

Oh, wait, no I don't. Cnet was never good. It was always the go-to place for viruses and malware, conveniently bundled with their craptastic "downloader" program.

Re:does it work with iphones?

[narcc]

You must be new. It didn't always have that craptastic downloader.

Re:does it work with iphones?

[JustAnotherOldGuy]

You must be new. It didn't always have that craptastic downloader.

No, not new, but Cnet was never very good. I remember John Dvorak and his paragraphs of pompous pontificating, riddled with random blobs of bold text that never seemed to make much sense.

Re:does it work with iphones?

[Katatsumuri]

Ars Technica article says:

The consumer version of the Gear VR will support "every 2015 Samsung handset," Koo said, including the Galaxy Note 5, S6, S6 Edge, and S6 Edge+.

Don't know if the earlier phones are too slow, incompatible geometrically, or lack some special feature. I would guess if older Samsung phones are not supported, then the chances for other vendors are even slimmer.

Re:does it work with iphones?

[tehcyder]

To be fair, his keyboard was quite cool and he wrote the Hovis theme tune.

Re:does it work with iphones?

[Coren22]

Are you sure that wasn't a nom de plume for Alexander Peter Kowalski (APK)?

Re:does it work with iphones?

[JustAnotherOldGuy]

Are you sure that wasn't a nom de plume for Alexander Peter Kowalski (APK)?

That's an interesting theory, and I can't disprove it.

Re:does it work with iphones?

[Coren22]

You really like being proven wrong so badly while clinging to the belief that you are right don't you?

How does Hosts block DNSBL:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

How is a normal user supposed to know that your hosts file isn't causing them a MiTM attack on their banking site? How is a normal user on a corporate computer supposed to use your hosts file? How is anyone absolutely sure that an update you push out to your hosts file isn't going to compromise their machine?

Zuckerberg in VF

[phantomfive]

He's also pushing it in Vanity Fair, like the true geek he is.

So three things?

[Sez Zero]

With mobile VR, you only need a great mobile game device and a smartphone

So a mobile game device and a high-end smartphone and the headset? Sure, piece of cake!

Re:So three things?

[U2xhc2hkb3QgU3Vja3M]

Great, now we need four things: mobile gaming device, high-end smartphone, headset and a piece of cake.

you could have had a V8!

[turkeydance]

but only got this crappy VR.

Re:Grease that YODA DOLL up! Shove it in your ASS!

[JustAnotherOldGuy]

Instructions unclear, please elaborate.

Woohoo

[binarylarry]

Can't wait to buy an $800 phone to use this $99 vr screen.

Re:Woohoo

[chispito]

Can't wait to buy an $800 phone to use this $99 vr screen.

I get your point. Still, the phone is the screen.

Re:Woohoo

[ArsonSmith]

You can also use the phone.

Re:Woohoo

[Katatsumuri]

Samsung Galaxy S6 is $540 on Amazon. There might be better deals. And it also has other uses.

I agree with your general point though. I am quite happy with my $170 Motorola smartphone. I would consider this VR attachment if I already had a compatible phone. As it stands, I will probably wait for Oculus Rift V2. Facebook intends to price them competitively, and there's a chance that second consumer version will be usable without too much headache.

Re:Woohoo

[Slashdot Parent]

The target market for the Gear VR is people who already own a Samsung smartphone. I.e. you'd buy the $99 device and plug in the phone that you already have.

If you don't already have a Samsung smartphone, you'd probably be more interested in a dedicated VR headset like the Oculus Rift that's coming out next year.

Re:How much?

[MobileTatsu-NJG]

Actually it's a plastic box with an accelerometer and pretty decent lenses (that are actually glass, unlike what's in Cardboard...) that are adjustable so you don't have to have your glasses on while you're wearing it.

A better Second Life?

[aNonnyMouseCowered]

Since FB is a social networking site, I see the Rift's most obvious FBooky application a souped-up version of Second Life. FB's real names policy appears not to cover profile photos, so by extrapolation users could adopt catgirl or Spock avatars so long as they have an ID or tag of some sort identifying who they really are.

Re:A better Second Life?

[Zobeid]

Keep in mind that Linden Labs are working on "Sansar", which is supposed to be a successor to Second Life optimized for VR.

As for Facebook World? I tried to imagine FB doing something like SL, and then I laughed. . . and laughed. There would be massive culture shock, that's for sure. Just imagine Facebook trying to deal with Militant Nudists, Goreans, Voreans, Fatfur Pokemorphs, etc.

SL is what the word "counter-culture" should have really been coined for.

Re:A better Second Life?

[tehcyder]

Keep in mind that Linden Labs are working on "Sansar", which is supposed to be a successor to Second Life optimized for VR.

As for Facebook World? I tried to imagine FB doing something like SL, and then I laughed. . . and laughed. There would be massive culture shock, that's for sure. Just imagine Facebook trying to deal with Militant Nudists, Goreans, Voreans, Fatfur Pokemorphs, etc.

SL is what the word "counter-culture" should have really been coined for.

You sound like you're one of the dozen people who ever used SL more than once.

and yet..

[SuperDre]

still not pricing, availability or pre-order date for the actual consumer Oculus Rift...

Re:How much?

[gl4ss]

dunno, but I hope it works with my note edge.

no wait, what I actually want is just a display for my pc, I don't want to play games from 10 years ago on it and certainly don't need it to be portable more than my laptop.

walking around VR for home is a big failure, it's disappointing that they're putting so much research into it, when it should just be a display replacement.

Glorified Cardboard

[iTrawl]

I wanted one when I read the price and the Oculus label, but after researching a bit more it looks like I can't have one. I needs a Galaxy thingy to stick in it (just like with Cardboard, but Samsung-only), and I am not willing to give Samsung any money. I'm with LG now and I'm very happy. My second choice of brand is HTC. Samsung is somewhere near the bottom due to quality concerns (they're cutting corners(tm) and such).

Re:How much?

[NotDrWho]

70" HDTV Home Entertainment System on sale now for only $200!!!!!!! *

* HDTV not included

Re:Simple: I avoid all DNS blocking

[Coren22]

If you can show how DNS Blocking is the same thing as a DNSBL, that would make your statement fact.

Until you can resolve the issue of DNSBL being on the destination system, not the source, your hosts file will do nothing to resolve the issue.

You posted an inaccurate statement, just correct it and stop being so stupidly stubborn.

Re:Simple: I avoid all DNS blocking

[Coren22]

APK, your schizophrenia is showing again, you might want to put that away. I answered correctly no, because he is wrong. No matter how much deflection being put on the issue, DNSBL will never be the same thing as DNS Blocking. DNSBL is used by mail servers to provide a list of spammers (like APK) that will have all mail dropped by the mail server. No matter how much twisting of the truth you do APK, it will never change this fact. You will never get an email to flow to a server using a DNSBL if you are on that list. It doesn't matter how many hosts files you use. You would have to edit the hosts file on the destination mail server, which by definition isn't your mail server.

READ and LEARN:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

Re:Coren22 desperately reaching for straws

[Coren22]

Hosts files are EASILY network-wide migratable by domain admins & scripts for 1 method!

So, how does that help the normal user who isn't a domain admin and has no access to edit the hosts file? I still don't see this happening unless you have admin privs, in which case, it is FAR better to use your domain's DNS server to host the list rather than deploying a hosts file all over your domain.

Re:WoW - you really have to ask? Please... lol!

[Coren22]

So what about when you don't work in corporate IT? Not every admin approves of your garbage software, so those who might like it in an org that don't have admin rights have no way to get your crap onto the machines. I guess it is a self solving problem after all, nevermind. :)

Re:How much?

[MobileTatsu-NJG]

Actually if you saw the difference the sensors, touchpad, and the glass make compared to the ~$20ish Cardboard you'd feel differently.

Re:How much?

[MobileTatsu-NJG]

In that case the $25-$30 price you suggested is too much as well, right?