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Samsung’s $100 virtual reality headset is selling out online

Samsung on Friday released its cheaper, lighter Gear VR headset.

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And as of Monday morning, it’s already sold out on Amazon and Best Buy’s online store.

You can still buy Gear VR directly though Samsung’s website — the company is even offering free shipping between now and November 30. Samsung says it ships Gear VR in 7-10 business days.

Gear VR has been around for about a year now, but the original "Innovator Edition" only worked with the Galaxy Note 4 smartphone, and it cost $200. The new version released Friday is 19% lighter and costs $100 less than its predecessor.

samsung gear vr
AP

Though the new Gear VR headset costs $100, it’s important to note this is not a $100 device: It requires one of four expensive Samsung phones to work — the Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge, Galaxy S6 Edge+, or the Galaxy Note 5 — and the headset literally does nothing without one of those phones powering it.

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The four phones listed above can cost anywhere between $500 and $800.

But if you have one of those Samsung phones, or you don’t mind buying one, Gear VR is a nifty little device with lots of great applications. You can watch movies, play games, and experience things only few could prior to this headset, like exploring space or the ocean.

And since Gear VR is powered by Facebook-owned Oculus VR, you’re getting access to Oculus Arcade, which lets you play classic games in a virtual arcade; Oculus Video, which offers movies, Vimeo videos and Twitch live broadcasts; Oculus Social, which lets you watch videos with your Facebook friends; as well as 200,000 photos with full 360º views thanks to Oculus’ vast photo library.

You can watch Samsung's first ad for Gear VR below:

Samsung Virtual reality
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