Samsung Gear VR SM-R322 (Late 2015, Consumer Edition)

Affordable ; Comfortable to wear ; Easy setup ; Wide variety of content

Only compatible with a handful of Samsung phones ; Drains your phone battery ; Not as robust as upcoming PC and console-based VR headsets

If Google Cardboard gives a taste of virtual reality, Samsung's Gear VR offers up a whole feast. With just the addition of a smartphone, you can get a truly immersive VR headset that lets you travel distant lands, watch movies and shoot up spaceships...

Only $100 ; Best mobile VR hardware ; Works with all four major Samsung phones ; Fantastic games and apps

Some light bleeds through the edges ; Only available on four Samsung phones

If you own a Samsung Galaxy S6, S6 Edge, S6 Edge Plus, or Note 5, we highly recommend the Gear VR at its new $100 price. Thanks to a fantastic collaboration between Samsung and Oculus, the Gear VR is the best mobile VR experience on planet Earth.

Incredibly accessible ; Light, comfortable, attractive ; Extremely impressive visuals

Limited functionality ; Extremely limited software library ; Requires a Note 4, making it very expensive

Gear VR is a device full of potential. It works! The screen resolution is almost good enough that you don't constantly think about the headset you're wearing! It's light and easy to keep on for long periods! It's not $10,000! The battery life is pretty...

Easy setup. Comfortable. Relatively inexpensive.

Not as visually impressive or technically powerful as PC-based headsets. No charging cable included.

Conclusions The new Samsung Gear VR is a functional, accessible, and affordable way to play with VR if you have a compatible Galaxy phone, and anyone with even a passing interest in VR should seriously consider giving it a shot. Outside of the USB-C...

Comfortable to wear. Oculus-powered technology is well-developed. Good number of apps available.

Requires one of four specific Samsung Galaxy smartphones. Still no killer app to make virtual reality a must-have. Potential thermal issues.

Ongoing Issues and Conclusions Unfortunately, the Gear VR and the connected Galaxy S6 I was using didn't seem as interested in a prolonged gaming experience as I was. After about 40 minutes, the game stopped and the Gear VR software displayed a warning...

An honest-to-goodness VR headset for $100. Works with current-generation Samsung Galaxy phones: Galaxy Note 5, S6 Edge+, S6, and S6 Edge. Tons of content; finding something cool to watch, play, or do isn't a problem. Onboard sensors track movement and...

Battery drain and overheating are still problems. While an improvement over developer versions, could still use some work. Requires a Samsung phone, so iOS and Windows users are out of luck. Don't have a Galaxy phone? Add a few hundred dollars to the...

So yes. Good VR is here. After three and a half years, I can’t believe I’m finally saying it, but it is. It’s in Best Buy, it’s on Amazon, it’s in T-Mobile and AT&T stores, it’s just fucking here. If you have a Samung phone already, spending $99 on it...