Although the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge seem to be fantastic stand-alone products on their own, this year it appears that the mobile market began evolving into a different type of beast. Several major smartphone makers including LG and Samsung have created new ecosystems around their latest flagships offering a wide variety of interesting accessories, and in Samsung’s case, this ecosystem seems to put great emphasis on the concept of Virtual Reality. Samsung even paired a free Gear VR with every Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge pre-order in the US, and further promoted the aforementioned smartphones as “VR machines”. Now the company’s “promotions” page for the Galaxy S7 bundles has gone live in the US, where customers can claim their Samsung Gear VR and / or other goods they may expect from their pre-purchase.
The Gear VR offer page lets customers choose the carrier or retailer where they’ve pre-ordered the Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 Edge from, and informs them about the bundles they are ready to claim. For instance, in the case of pre-orders from Verizon Wireless, customers can choose between a free Gear VR headset or a free Samsung Gear S2 smartwatch. In the case of T-Mobile, each Galaxy S7 / Galaxy S7 Edge pre-order is paired with a Gear VR headset, a 6-game bundle, as well as a 1-year Netflix subscription worth $120. The claiming process is straightforward and requires only a few steps, starting with providing an email address and filling an online claim, uploading an image of your receipt, and waiting for a confirmation email. However, after claiming the Gear VR bundle, customers will be required to wait an additional 4-to-6 weeks before the will receive their order in the mail. The shipping time-frame and claiming process can differ from one carrier and retailer to another, so keep a close eye on these details when claiming a bundle.
Normally the Samsung Gear VR headset costs $99, and together with the free 6-game bundle, the value increases to roughly $150. The Gear VR was designed for 360-degrees media consumption and offers a relatively affordable VR solution for flagship smartphone enthusiasts who may find the Oculus Rift or the HTC Vive too expensive or too centered around PC gaming.
