Gear VR's own virtual reality controller hits shelves next month

The Gear VR Controller announced just last month is already right around the corner. Samsung has announced that the latest hardware update to its line of smartphone-powered virtual reality headsets is set to ship in just under a month. 

As the Verge points out, the upcoming Gear VR release doesn’t alter the headset itself but instead introduces a bundled virtual reality controller into the mix.

The inclusion of the Gear VR Controller brings Samsung’s offering more in line with Google’s Daydream View headset, but in doing so the Gear VR has left its $99 price tag behind.

The bundle is set to ship on April 21 and retails for $129. However, you won’t need to pick up an entirely new headset just to give the Gear VR Controller a whirl. The new external controller is compatible with older Gear VR headsets and is being sold separately for $39.

Gear VR games and apps that took advantage of the touchpad built into the headset itself are already compatible with the new remote. Developers curious about creating something with the new Bluetooth controller in mind are able to find more details about the Gear VR Controller SDK and hardware requests on the Gear VR developer portal.