$99 Samsung Gear VR now available, 'The Martian VR Experience' preview out

Announced a couple of months ago, the consumer edition of the Samsung Gear VR headset has been up for pre-order in the US for a couple of weeks, and in Europe for the past few days too. Well, it's started shipping in the States, and if you weren't among the early birds, you should be able to order yours today on Amazon and BestBuy, though both retailers list the $99 device as out of stock.

Logistics are one thing, content is another. If for example you want to catch a glimpse of what it's like being on Mars, you'd be able to do so thanks to Twentieth Century Fox. The film studio has released a preview of 'The Martian VR Experience' - a 360-degree look through the eyes of an astronaut on the Red Planet.

The sneak peek is available on Samsung's Milk VR platform, and the full VR movie is due to be out next year, all 15 to 20 minutes of it. Produced by Ridley Scott and directed by Robert Stromberg, the reel was shot parallel to the old-school 2D motion picture The Martian, on the same sets and with the same actors, not that it was particularly crowded during the Mars segments.

Via