Best Buy has started selling Samsung's Gear VR immersive display headset for $199.99, marking the first time that one of America's most ubiquitous retailers has started offering such a product to the mainstream market.
Customers can have the Gear VR shipped after purchasing from Best Buy's website or have it available for pick-up in the nearest Best Buy store. This means interested buyers will not be able to check out the headset in person and try out how it works before they shell out their $200 for the device, but Samsung has a number of stalls at several malls across the country offering curious onlookers a demonstration of the Gear VR.
The Gear VR, which was developed using software provided by Oculus Rift, was first spotted inside a few Best Buy stores in Los Angeles in September before they were pulled off the shelves.
Reddit users who said they saw the device said at the time that the units available were sitting inside a metal anti-theft enclosure. They did not even have the Galaxy Note 4, which is needed to provide the device's Super AMOLED immersive display, inserted in the headset.
Apparently, Samsung representatives told people who were curious about the Gear VR that the headsets seen at the Best Buy stores were demo units. People who wanted to try them out needed to sign a form waiving Best Buy and Samsung's responsibility in the event that something goes wrong.
"People will have to sign a waiver, like a consent form. We will have to put a chair down so people can sit down to avoid any accidents," a Samsung representative told Matthew Terndrup of YouRift, who was referred to Samsung by his local Best Buy store.
Given that Samsung has a 16-point product use warning for the Gear VR, including one that lists seizures, unconsciousness, dizziness, impaired balance, and fatigue as the possible symptoms of overexposure, it's no surprise why the Best Buy demos were pulled off.
Although Samsung appears to be introducing the first virtual reality headset into the mainstream market, the product is still targeted toward "developers, early adopters, and enthusiasts."
Oculus VR is a little more blunt about its statement on its own Oculus Rift still being a "development kit" for now. Still, having the Gear VR available from Best Buy's online store will make it a little easier for those who want to get their hands on the first VR headset available.
Previously, anyone who wanted to buy the Gear VR could only do so from Samsung's online store. A number of Amazon sellers are also retailing the device, although at a premium price on top of the $700 buyers may have already spent for the Galaxy Note 4.
Best Buy is offering the Gear VR headset only. Customers who want to get a gamepad will have to purchase it separately.
