Samsung launches Milk VR app to stream 360-degree video to VR headset

South Korean electronics conglomerate Samsung launched Milk VR on Tuesday, a new app that lets users download and stream free 360-degree videos to watch on Gear VR headsets.

The app, which can only be used with Samsung's Galaxy Note 4 phone, is a step toward solving one of the problems early adopters of virtual reality headsets face: a lack of content to watch.

The app has about a dozen videos ranging from scenic road trip videos to footage taken from airplanes, but there are also categories for music videos, sports videos and "action." A steady stream of content is expected to be added to the app.

Samsung did not immediately respond to requests for comment about what other kinds of content users can expect to see, if the content will always be free, and whether user-generated content will play a role in Milk VR.

The Gear VR launched in the U.S. for $199 as a limited "Innovator's Edition" on Dec. 8. It was primarily for early adopters and developers to test the device, rather than for mainstream consumers. The mobile-powered virtual reality headset was developed in partnership with Facebook's Oculus VR, maker of the Oculus Rift, which is a VR headset designed with gaming in mind. Like the Gear VR, a consumer version of the Oculus Rift is not yet available.

Milk VR follows Samsung's other ventures into content management, with Milk Video (a video streaming app) and Milk Music (a radio service app).