Samsung Gear expands virtual-reality arsenal

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Virtual reality specialist Oculus is trying to dazzle consumers by adding more entertainment and educational options to the Samsung Gear headset in hopes of transforming the technological curiosity into a cultural phenomenon.

The new selections announced Wednesday include "Nomads," a three-dimensional video series from Felix & Paul Studios that examines wayfaring lifestyles in remote parts of the world.

There's also an upcoming video game called "Tactera" that requires players to plot a battlefield strategy on a holographic tabletop, and another 360-degree video called "6X9" providing a grim look of what it's like to be stuck in a prison's solitary confinement cell.

Samsung designed the Gear for its most recent smartphones with the help of Oculus, a little-known startup until online social networking leader Facebook bought it for $2 billion two years ago to help introduce virtual reality to the masses.