Samsung's Gear VR Innovator Edition arrives next month in the US

If you've been eyeing Samsung's Gear VR headset to pair with that Galaxy Note 4, you might soon be in luck. The company announced today that the Innovator Edition of the virtual reality gadget will be available stateside in December. Of course, the Gear VR is powered by Oculus tech, using that super-sized smartphone's 5.7-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED display to sort the "fully immersive" experience. In order to properly show off the device, Samsung and Oculus teamed up with the likes of Marvel, DreamWorks, Cirque du Soleil and others to craft VR offerings in hopes of convincing you to commit your funds. We're talking things like a tour of Tony Stark's Lab in advance of The Avengers: Age of Ultron. The first time a Note 4 is connected to the Gear VR, Oculus software will automatically download to the handset for wrangling purchases, watching movies and more. Unfortunately, there's no word on pricing, but while you wait, you can opt for updates from Samsung in the meantime.

So, what's in the software package that Oculus VR is putting together? Samsung breaks it down as such:

• "Oculus Home – Your VR home screen and content discovery center, which includes a Samsung section

• Oculus Store – An application that lets you browse and download new content from the Oculus platform

• Oculus Cinema – A VR movie theater and cinema where you can watch your favorite movies in an immersive virtual environment

• Oculus 360 Videos and Photos – Be immersed in 360° videos and panoramas like never before from within Gear VR"

While Gear VR isn't the Oculus Rift headset we've all been waiting for, it does offer the first taste of Oculus VR's software suite. In so many words, expect Gear VR's software to offer a taste of what Oculus VR's own headset will someday run.

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There's also a notable lack of gaming-centric wording in Samsung's press release for today's news, and that's because Gear VR remains an entertainment-focused device over a strictly video game VR headset. Of course, when Gear VR launches next month, expect a variety of applications -- both gaming and general entertainment alike -- to be available in the Oculus Store. If nothing else, it'll all be free for a bit. And hey! Free stuff!

Update: The Gear VR Innovator Edition for the Note 4 will retail for $199 for the headset-only version and $249 if you want the Bluetooth gamepad bundled in.