Samsung and Oculus Announce $99 Gear VR Headset for Galaxy Phones - Digits - WSJ

tbd if/when a comparable iPhone option will be available

"Samsung Electronics Co. and Facebook Inc.’s Oculus VR unveiled a new version of the Gear VR headset Thursday, aimed at bringing what executives said was the “power of virtual reality to the mainstream.” To reach the masses, the headset will be priced at $99 and work with the full slate of 2015 Samsung Galaxy phones: Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6 Edge+, S6 and S6 Edge.

The new headset is 22% lighter and “much more comfortable” than the previous Innovator editions, which Samsung first released last year to fine-tune its consumer product. The Gear VR includes a trackpad, back button and motion sensors to detect acceleration and gyroscopic position, but it still requires the brains and high-resolution screen of a smartphone to work. Phones are docked inside the headset, via a MicroUSB connection."

Samsung and Oculus Announce $99 Gear VR Headset for Galaxy Phones - Digits - WSJ