Galaxy XR Controllers

Overview

Galaxy XR Controllers are Samsung's optional motion controllers for the Samsung Galaxy XR headset. They went on sale in the US with the headset on October 21, 2025 at $249.99 for a left and right pair. They are not included in the headset box. Galaxy XR is controlled with hand tracking, eyes and voice by default. The controllers add thumbsticks, buttons, triggers and haptic feedback for games and precise input. The first US stock sold out within hours of launch, and Samsung's US store listed them as out of stock at the time of writing.

Design and battery

Each controller has a ringless, ergonomic shape with a hand strap, an analog stick, face buttons and buttons on the back of the handle. Samsung lists each controller at 64.5 x 128.5 x 63.1 mm and 129 g, including battery and strap. The color is a light gray that Samsung also calls Silver Shadow. The controllers run on replaceable AA batteries and do not support charging. Samsung does not publish a battery life figure.

Tracking

Samsung lists the tracking as IR LED tracking with six degrees of freedom, backed by an accelerometer and gyro sensor in each controller. There are no base stations: the headset tracks the controllers, in the same way as other inside-out tracking systems. Haptic feedback gives a physical response to in-game actions.

Compatibility

Samsung states that the controllers are exclusively compatible with Galaxy XR and are not supported on other devices. They are optimized for 3D games, and Samsung warns that they may not work properly in some games, especially 2D mobile games running on the headset. Some Galaxy XR games require the controllers, but the headset itself does not.

Setup and use

To pair them, open Settings on Galaxy XR, go to Input, then Controllers, select Add Controller and follow the on-screen steps. The included user manual has the same instructions. Because they use AA batteries, there is no cable or dock to charge them; you swap batteries when they run low.

Who it is for

The controllers are for Galaxy XR owners who want to play VR games that need sticks and triggers, or who prefer physical buttons to hand gestures. If you mainly use Galaxy XR for video, browsing and productivity, hand tracking covers most tasks and you can skip them.