Samsung has shipped more than 5 million Gear VR headsets

While 2016 may have been the year of VR, it’s looking more and more like 2017 is the year for entry-level VR options to blossom. Samsung announced it has shipped more than 5 million Gear VR headsets at its press conference during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Samsung Electronics America COO Tim Baxter made the announcement, while mentioning that those same devices have viewed more than ten million hours of video.

Samsung has been one of the biggest players in the mobile VR scene, with its Gear VR headset sparking several competitors. We’ve seen moves into VR from companies like Google, LG, ZTE and even HTC with its mainstream Vive headset in partnership with Valve.

Samsung takes it a step further than just allowing people to watch VR content, as the Samsung Gear 360 camera can be used to capture VR content that can be explored using the VR headset.

Samsung no doubt achieved its shipped number through numerous promotions with the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, but this is no small accomplishment when it’s the biggest player in mobile VR to date. With a Gear 360 Pro planned to be released alongside the Galaxy S8, we wouldn’t be surprised to see more Gear VR promotions in the future as Samsung bids to continue adoption rates.