The pixels have barely dimmed on the Wednesday’s announcement from Samsung Electronics of its new Galaxy Note phablets and two wearable devices including a virtual reality (VR) headset from Oculus Rift, the company Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) paid $2 billion for back in March, and Consumer Reports magazine was ready with new product reviews.

The Note 4 tablet includes a 5.7-inch Super AMOLED display and can function as a 3D display for the Oculus VR headset. The Note 4 snaps into the headset, according to Consumer Reports. Samsung calls its VR headset “Gear VR,” placing the device under its Gear Wear umbrella.

The headset includes a built-in touchpad and buttons, and Consumer Reports says that it is possible to activate some virtual elements just by looking at them. Samsung said that a gamepad for the headset will be available as an accessory, and when asked if two people could share the same VR experience, a Samsung spokesman said, “Not yet.”

READ ALSO: Google Gets Aggressive in Artificial Intelligence

Sony Corp. (NYSE: SNE) is also working on its on VR headset based on the Oculus Rift device. Sony introduced its Project Morpheus in March and the headset is being designed to work with the PlayStation 4 and other Sony gaming devices.

This is not VR’s first rodeo. The technology made its way into public consciousness in the 1980s and early 1990s, although work had been done by pioneers in the field as early as the mid-1960s. Except for a few true believers, VR was just too much trouble and way too expensive.

And while the excitement around the launch of the Oculus headset is palpable, neither Oculus nor Samsung has announced a price for the devices. A developer’s kit is available from Oculus for $350, and new orders for the kit will begin shipping next month.

Whether a VR headset is the next smartphone or the next 3D-TV (remember those?) remains to be seen. At least one report on the introduction attributed Apple Inc.’s (NASDAQ: AAPL) 3% share price drop to Samsung’s new product announcements. We think it is more likely that a few words of caution from analysts regarding next week’s expected iPhone announcements are responsible for Apple’s price drop.

Samsung is expected to ship its Gear VR headset later this fall.

READ ALSO: America’s Best Companies to Work For

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.