Gadgetory

one thing just about all high quality VR headsets have in common is that they feel like science fiction the oculus rift is cyberpunk the HTC vive makes you look like an alien fighter pilot PlayStation VR belongs on a 60 spaceship and the gear VR is your bleak corporate future what company though is showing us something a bit more low-key Google this week it's not you in a daydream view which is more like the future as comfy sweatshirt it's the first headset to support daydream Google's new virtual reality platform you might be thinking wait Google already has a virtual reality platform it's called cardboard and it's about the cheapest simplest VR you can get the $79 daydream view is powered by a phone just like cardboard in this case the Google pixel and pixel XL but there are three big differences first it's designed to be worn for longer periods of time with a head strap an ergonomic design a second it's got a miniature motion controller that lets you do way more in VR and third it's part of a brutal eco system built around those first two things which means the kind of gains and experiences you'd expect from a full-fledged consumer headset or at least that's what Google is promising but like a lot of VR was still in a waiting game at first glance Google's Hardware doesn't look all that remarkable which is in itself sort of remarkable the data review is a simple squishy pair of face goggles to use it you pull open an elastic band pick up the controller loop strap to the inside of the tray and put a phone on it instead an NFC chip in the tray tells the phone to launch the daydream app and the controller pairs with your bone via bluetooth two plastic nubs on the inside of the headset Center the screen telling it how to focus there are two pixel phones and view works with both of them but the 5.5 inch pixel XL gives you a distinctly wider field of view you'll clearly see the edges of the screen you're using the smaller pixel so why should you care about how assembling the headset works because one of the single most important parts of mobile VR while people are still getting used to VR there are a million points that they might give up on using a headset the daydream view is supposed to be all about getting rid of those speed bumps technically this headset has roughly the same parts and basic features as a gear VR but setting up the view feels a lot better and it leaves the phone more accessible while I'm wearing it which makes me a lot more likely to put in for a quick VR session most headsets have three straps one on each side and one over the top of the head day during view doesn't have that third strap so it feels like there's not much holding it up I learned to trust the design and now it's very very comfortable for me but before that I had a serious dent in my forehead from strapping it way too tight and some people may never get past that point Google has promised over 50 apps by the end of the year for daydream view but so far we've gotten deter less than a dozen in their favor all of them are good-looking and competently made I could watch a full flat screen movie and some 360 degree Clips in the special daydream version of YouTube for example I spent many hours playing a dungeon crawler called hunter's gate but there's nothing that you absolutely must try right this minute and that much that feels incredibly clever or unexpected but the difference is that it requires a smaller investment and that means that whatever Google puts in the headset doesn't have to be quite so impressive to be worth it that said you can see a lot of potential like the design in general the controller is something that seems obvious but actually opens up a world of new possibilities in addition to a couple of buttons in a trackpad its internal sensors let it tracks simple motion don't expect to move it around like a wrister vibe controller it's more like a very nice laser pointer it is no absolute sense of position and you have to get used to the controller drifting at some points it's easy to reset but it can be annoying in some games but it's convenient comfortable to hold and most of the time it's very precise Google has given developers a great tool so we're just waiting to see how they use it if there's one big missed opportunity for daydream it's that despite being baked into Android it doesn't really feel like part of Android yet the promise of daydream is that Google is controlling every level of hardware and software unlike a mobile platform like gear VR where oculus is working on Samsung's flavor of Android and one of daydreams biggest advantages is being integrated into a major ecosystem people don't have to create a new account to use it or access VR apps only through a daydream specific portal the daydream interface is simple and effective and it offers phone notification options but there are barely any phone settings options in VR or much connection with the rest of the phone period google's hands-free personal assistant was a huge selling point the pixel and it could be great almost full-fledged VR voice interface but right now it's not supported in daydrian what we're seeing here is gold trying to set a VR standard while still figuring out how VR works alongside everyone else manufacturers have promised day during hardware but we don't know what it looks like yet developers have promised VR games and experiences but we're waiting to see them there's the beginnings of a great Android VR interface but it's just starting to develop as we've said so many times before VR isn't here yet but at this point Google has laid out a strong roadmap for where it could go now it just needs people to follow I think you're editing a little more enjoyable is it really ok