We didn’t expect to see two new mixed-reality headsets released this month. Samsung has just announced the Galaxy XR, acting as a rival to the Apple Vision Pro, which got a new M5-powered model, releasing today, October 22, following a week-long pre-order period. Samsung’s Galaxy XR undercuts the Apple headset by a massive $1,700, costing $1,799.99, nearly half the price of the $3499.99 Vision Pro.

Samsung sells the XR controllers separately for $249.99, but they’re currently $174.99 when bundled with the headset. The same goes for the carrying case, which has the same price (and bundle offer). Don’t ask us why a travel case costs just as much as two controllers. Either way, both currently suffer from poor stock levels, resulting in delayed shipping dates.

Galaxy XR controllers and travel case are out of stock at launch

High demand for the headset’s optional accessories – the controllers and carrying case – seems to be even more than Samsung expected. VR headset enthusiast Brad Lynch reveals on X that stock levels in the U.S have already been struggling, and this has been confirmed by customer support via live chat.

We went ahead and checked out the Galaxy XR headset and its accessories on the official Samsung U.S. store. Although neither of the accessories is currently listed as out of stock, the delivery dates make it obvious that the controllers and travel case are much more delayed than the headset itself. The store currently lists the XR controllers as available for delivery on December 9.

The Samsung Galaxy XR has been developed in collaboration with Google and Qualcomm Technologies, who all worked on the new Android XR platform. The Galaxy XR is the first device to be built on Android XR.

“Android XR is the first Android platform built entirely for the Gemini era, and we are incredibly excited to take a significant leap forward today with the launch of Galaxy XR,”

Sameer Samat, President of Android Ecosystem at Google

With Apple and new Samsung releasing new headsets, all eyes are on Valve. The rumored code-named Deckard, Valve’s next VR headset, could be just around the corner, though we can expect it to be more focused on VR gaming rather than the mixed-reality approach we’ve seen from Apple and Samsung.

About the Author

Jack Goodall

At PC Guide, Jack is mostly responsible for reporting on hardware deals. He also specializes in monitors, TVs, and headsets and can be found putting his findings together in a review or best-of guide.