👋 Samsung’s Galaxy XR controller accessory has sold out in the USA
💰 Priced at $250, they aren’t cheap, but demand has outstripped supply it seems
📉 The Galaxy XR launched this week, with a $1799 price tag that undercuts the Apple Vision Pro by half
😮 It has 4K Micro OLED screens, plus advanced eye-tracking and gesture controls, and is lighter than the Apple Vision Pro
Samsung’s Galaxy XR headset and accessories have debuted in South Korea and the USA, and one part has already sold out.
Despite a high $250 price tag, the Galaxy XR controllers are sold out in the USA, while stock is very limited in South Korea. At the time of writing, Samsung has not announced a restocking date.
After plenty of rumors and leaks, the long-awaited Samsung Galaxy XR headset (previously referred to as Project Moohan) debuted this week with a price that’s half of Apple’s Vision Pro - $1799.
Alongside the headset came a pair of Bluetooth controllers that were also briefly offered at a launch discount of $175, and soon disappeared from Samsung’s website altogether.
There isn’t anything unassuming about why the controllers aren’t there, apart from simple supply and demand economics. Samsung obviously didn’t anticipate such high demand for them, so it didn’t stock many pairs in the first place.
While the Galaxy XR headset can work with hand gestures, eye-tracking and voice commands, having controllers enables you to use the headset for more immersive VR titles and PC-VR content, where they can be a must for games.
This comes despite Samsung not necessarily marketing gaming as one of the headset’s main features. The fact that the controllers existed as an accessory, as opposed to being a pack-in, proves this, although them selling out obviously shows there is still an appetite to use the Galaxy XR for the same kind of intensive gaming as the Meta Quest headsets, for instance.
Currently, there is no restock date for said controllers, so you’ll be sitting tight for some time until you can get your hands on them.
Alternatively, Samsung says that Galaxy XR supports third-party Bluetooth and VR controllers, so you can save a buck now by using controllers you might have lying around while you wait for the official ones.
The Galaxy XR also features a strong spec sheet elsewhere, with a pair of 4K Micro OLED displays (the same as the Apple Vision Pro), while also being lighter and having a wide FOV of 109 degrees – very similar to Apple’s headset.
Being Samsung’s first foray into this XR world means it isn’t the final form of the device, and it seems as if Samsung is plotting smart glasses in its future with the Galaxy XR as ground zero.
Up next: 5 ways Samsung Galaxy XR beats Apple Vision Pro
Reece Bithrey is a journalist with credits in Trusted Reviews, Digital Foundry, PC Gamer, TechRadar and more. He also has his own blog, UNTITLED and graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in International History and Politics in 2023.