A Guide to Mobile VR: Google Cardboard

The Google Cardboard is one of the most used and heard-about mobile-based virtual reality (VR) head-mounted displays (HMD), and it is particularly known as the more novelty but practical of all the HMDs. If you have been thinking about looking into getting a Google Cardboard headset, then you have come to the right place as this is a comprehensive yet simplistic guide to what you want and need to know about it, and you can compare it to the others that are available right now.

Phone compatibility

First off, you want to know whether or not you have the right hardware for it, and luckily for everyone Google Cardboard is one of the most accessible as it is compatible with both Android and iOS mobile phones.

Here are the specifics:

• Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) or above, and can ideally support near field communication (NFC) too. This includes Samsung Galaxy S5.
• iOS with iPhone 6 and above.
• Screens should be 4.7 – 5 inches, with the new updated carboard 2.0 supporting iPhone 6S Plus and Samsung Note 5 which are both larger than the original size spec.

If you can pass all of these, then you’re in the Google Cardboard club – and in this day and age it would be rare to come across someone who is interested in buying a Cardboard but doesn’t own a somewhat updates smartphone (not impossible, though).

Design

I mean, it really is what it says on the tin (or cardboard). Google Cardboard is the most basic of all of the mobile HMDs – so much so that it has been frequently incorporated into retail packaging as a promotional freebie.

It is, as you could imagine, made out of cardboard, and the most techy it gets is with the two lenses that make what your phone screen is showing into VR, and it also has an NFC chip (as mentioned before) that automatically launches the Google Cardboard app when you put your smartphone into the headset. There is also a magnet that acts as a little button that controls your screen.

It is very much a lightweight little piece of VR history at this point, but it is an incredible tool when introducing VR and implementing it in schools and such.

CardboardHeader_6

Accessories

There isn’t much need for accessories for the Google Cardboard other than a pair of decent earphones or headphones that you would usually use with your smartphone.

Type of Content

You can get all of your Google Cardboard apps and videogames from either the Google Play Store, or iTunes, where you would normally get your apps for your phone. There is an incredible number of applications for it, which includes video content, simpler videogames which incorporate gaze-controls, applications for companies to demo their products, and just simple experiences.

There isn’t much of substantial note, but regardless it is still a portal into the virtual world.

How much does it cost?

This is no doubt the tipping factor for most people looking to get into VR, but you should know that this is by far the cheapest option as it on average will cost you around £20 (GBP) – this all depends on whether or not you get a more novelty version for either free or a much cheaper price, or if you buy one online.

 

Google Cardboard A Guide to the Best Mobile VR Headsets Google Daydream
Merge VR Samsung Gear VR

 

A Guide to Mobile VR: Merge VR

This is the unsung hero of mobile virtual reality (VR): Merge. The Merge VR head-mounted display (HMD), or goggles, may come off as something for a younger audience, or perhaps even less experienced, but there is practically no difference between this and the likes of the Google Cardboard or even verging onto Samsung Gear VR. Really, this does all come down to preference and what you like visually, but that is all that should legitimately change your opinion on this HMD.

Phone compatibility

As previously stated, it is the same as a Google Cardboard – it is compatible with iPhone and Android. What it officially says is “The Merge VR Goggles are compatible with nearly any iOS and Android device from the last two years.” Realistically, most people will have updated their phones in the past two years, especially if they are considering new tech such as VR, so it has a great amount of accessibility.

 

Design

This is what sets it apart from all other mobile HMDs. It has a distinctive purple colour, and it is actually made out of a hard foam, so there is no chance of either losing it or breaking it.

There are dual input buttons which is a new way of interacting with the VR app you are using, and (dare I say it) is probably one of the most intuitive designs for buttons on a mobile HMD when there are no controls to be had. On top of this there is also anti-fog ventilation, which is the equivalent to having a cup holder in your car: not essential but certainly useful.

There is also a handy little removable compartment that lets you engage with augmented reality (VR) applications, something that pretty much none of the other HMDs take into account.

Merge VR HMD

 

Accessories

There is no need for accessories as the buttons on the HMD do all the work for you.

Type of Content

Not to sound like a broken record, but it is just the same as the Google Cardboard. Anything that is available on either the Google Play Store or iTunes is right up Merge VR’s alley. So, in reality, there is a fantastic amount of content for this HMD.

 

How much does it cost?

Merge VR is available for $79 (USD), which isn’t too different when converted to GBP. When considering that this is exactly the same as the Google Cardboard – bar a few of design choices – it can come across a little pricey. But, considering all other high-end HMDs would require you to have a very up-to-date phone along with the HMD, it is still a manageable price.

 

Google Cardboard A Guide to the Best Mobile VR Headsets Google Daydream
Merge VR Samsung Gear VR

 

A Guide to Mobile VR: Google Daydream

This is the only mobile-based virtual reality (VR) head-mounted display (HMD) that is not yet out, but oh boy is it anticipated. The Google Daydream View HMD might be one of the most advanced mobile headsets on the market, which is somewhat ironic as Google started out with the Google Cardboard, going straight from 0 to 100.

Phone compatibility

This is the most limiting factor about this mobile HMD, however it isn’t something that should put you off of it. Daydream is only compatible with Daydream-ready phones, much like the Gear VR with Samsung Galaxy phones.

The first to be released was by Google itself, and it is not just a phone made for Daydream, but a device made to pose a real challenge for Samsung Galaxy and iPhone smartphones: the Google Pixel. It has even been tagged as the phone that iPhone users can finally switch to if they don’t want to follow Apple and support their domination of the phone market.

Design

The design is nothing like we have seen – no sleek plastic design, nor cardboard, but instead it has been designed in the way that it could actually go with what you’re wearing. Whether or not you believe this is true to your style, this is the theme that Google has taken for the whole of the HMD. The material is not only designed to fit aesthetically, but also physically with its main body not being a hard shell like all of the other HMDs.

Its practicality stretches to even how everything is stored, as there isn’t only space for the mobile phone, but also for the controller that comes with it.

Daydream View Headset

Accessories

Accessories are not much of a necessity for Daydream, and not only because it is too basic to warrant some. Daydream comes with its own controller, which has 9 degrees of freedom (DoF), meaning that it is a pretty reliable and responsive motion controller. As explained above, it fits perfectly with the HMD itself as it has its own little space along in the phone compartment, so there is no need to worry about additional bits of tech to elevate your overall experience.

DaydreamController

Type of Content

Even though this is a mobile VR device, don’t let this trick you into thinking that the experiences will be second-rate compared to that of PC and console. You could say that an HMD is only as good as its content, and judging by the upcoming releases Daydream is great.

When Daydream was announced, it was clear that there were more than a handful of notable studios that had gotten on board with developing for the HMD, including CCP Games, Warner Bros. and Climax Studios – including its own content from Google itself. These partners were shared both at the reveal event for the HMD, as well as at the more recent event, and there will no doubt be many more studios and videogames to get on board.

DaydreamApps

How much does it cost?

Google Daydream is of course nowhere near the cheapness of its predecessor, but it comes in at a healthy and respectable $79 (USD), and is set to come out before we see this year out by November 2016.

 

Google Cardboard A Guide to the Best Mobile VR Headsets Google Daydream
Merge VR Samsung Gear VR

 

A Guide to Mobile VR: Samsung Gear VR

There is a fantastic chance that your first virtual reality (VR) experience was in fact with a Samsung Gear VR head-mounted display (HMD), and what a great introduction that would have been as this is a quality HMD. However, to consider this HMD you will have to have a Samsung phone – and not just any Samsung phone.

Phone compatibility

The Samsung Gear VR, barring previous versions that were available, is compatible with only Samsung phones which includes: Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 edge, Galaxy Note5, Galaxy S6 edge+, Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge.

We couldn’t bring this up without mentioning that quite obviously the Note 7 doesn’t apply anymore (unless you want flames in your eyes and a burning Gear VR).

Design

The design has changed from when it first hit the consumer market in an updated Gear VR HMD this year, and it has been optimised to give a great experience.

The wider field of view that the new version of the consumer Gear VR HMD offers is something that will get your head way more into VR. One thing that hindered this slightly was the buttons on the side, but this has been fixed in the new version too making interactivity way easier.

samsung galaxy note 7 and gear vr

Accessories

Accessories for the Gear VR is purely optional, but there are quite a few gadgets that you could purchase if you are looking for an optimal VR experience. VRFocus previously listed three controllers that will bring your Gear VR experience to life. However, it is not necessary in the slightest.

Type of Content

As this is a product of Oculus, all of its content does not reside in the Google Play or iTunes stores, but instead in the Oculus Store. This makes the creation of content much more filtered out, which ensures that there is a certain level of quality about the content.

There are frequent releases for the Gear VR, so you would be far from bored if you invested in it.

How much does it cost?

The Gear VR has a stable price tage of $99 (USD), which has not changed since the first consumer version hit the market. One thing that does need to be pointed out at this stage is that it is actually the priciest mobile HMD, and so it may be a bit of a hurdle in terms of deciding to purchase when you have the Google Daydream View in sight.

 

Google Cardboard A Guide to the Best Mobile VR Headsets Google Daydream
Merge VR Samsung Gear VR

 

Google Tango Team Reports Directly To VR Leader Clay Bavor

Google Tango Team Reports Directly To VR Leader Clay Bavor

Google is one of the augmented and virtual reality industry’s major players. Between its many investments, acquisitions, products and corporate maneuverings, the search giant has become a force to be reckoned with in the early days of this highly innovative space. Two of the major prongs on Google’s AR/VR spear are its Daydream and Tango teams. These are two engineering groups creating their own unique immersive projects. According to a company executive, however, these two prongs may now have been fused into one razor sharp point.

Johnny Lee is the director of engineering for the Tango team. At a press event at Google’s San Francisco offices, Lee confirmed to UploadVR that Tango has joined Daydream under the Google VR umbrella.

“From an organizational standpoint, Tango and Daydream work together,” Lee said. “I report directly to Clay Bavor, who reports directly to Sundar Pinchai.”

Clay Bavor – Google’s VP of VR

Pinchai is, of course, the CEO of Google that was appointed during the 2015 Alphabet restructuring process and Bavor is the vice president of virtual reality for the company. The chain of command outlined by Lee suggests Tango has now officially been brought on-board as a member of the broader Google VR mission, rather than being left as a standalone, experimental team.

The inner-working of a company with the size and scope of Google are always tricky and the silicon valley juggernaut sometimes won’t even disclose how many people are working on a given team, let alone what that team is working on. However, Tango’s transition from sharing a company to sharing a VP with the Daydream team is a clue at least as to what the company may be considering for the technology’s future.

Tango requires the use of a smartphone’s outward-facing camera, along with an additional depth sensor. This means it won’t be of much use to the upcoming Daydream View VR headset, which blocks the rear of the smartphones used to power it via its docking mechanism. However, given that Daydream and Tango are being worked on under a single leader,  it would be reasonable to anticipate a combination of technologies in the next generation of Google VR.

When asked to comment on this possibility, Lee responded by saying “that would be a very good idea.”

A Guide to the Best Mobile VR Headsets

Mobile virtual reality (VR) is the most accessible form of taking in bite-sized fun experiences, but it can quite often be hard to choose which mobile-based head-mounted display (HMD) you should pick as there are a fair few to choose from, very much unlike PC-based VR HMDs. Below is a guide to each of the major mobile-based HMDs and links to brief over views of each one.

Mobile-based HMDs took off before PC-based ones, and so they have made a more substantial impression on consumers as it is quite often the first form of VR they invest either their time or money in. Yes, there are clear differences in each of them, but each of them are fantastic in their own right. The HMDs that have been chosen are the Merge VR, Google Cardboard, Google Daydream, and Samsung Gear VR.

MergeVR HMD1

You may have heard of the Google Cardboard or Samsung Gear VR more than the other two, but take it from us that you should give each one careful consideration.

The Google Cardboard and Merge VR HMDs can be classed as very similar headsets, but both give a completely different experience in terms of user interface and tending to consumer needs. The Cardboard is known for its basic quality, and that is what gives it charm and usability. However, the Merge VR Goggles has many additional features that very much appeal to what we need as consumers and our want of a low maintenance headset.

google_cardboard_header

The Samsung Gear VR and Google Daydream View are clear head-to-head rivals, but each one can trump the other depending on what you want out of the headset. What the Samsung Gear VR has over Google Daydream is that it has been around for much longer, and it has had more than enough time to be tested and adjusted to the needs of consumers and developers, and continues to. However, the freshness of the Google Daydream mixed with the incredible backers who are supporting it with developments really makes some noise on the scene.

GoogleDaydream-Reveal2

Check out the guides below for each of the HMDs listed above for a way to get all the info you need without skimming through websites and being fed  information you don’t necessarily want.

 

Google Cardboard A Guide to the Best Mobile VR Headsets Google Daydream
Merge VR Samsung Gear VR

 

For more on the latest guides in the world of VR, as well as all the news, updates, and features, make sure to check back with VRFocus.

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