Google Cardboard – Review

Google Cardboard – Review

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One of the most overlooked announcements of Google I/O 2014 was Google Cardboard.

Google Cardboard is maybe the first affordable homemade VR (virtual reality) headset and makes use of your smartphone.

The simple hardware is supported by a very smart bit of software, inventively enough also called “Cardboard” and is made by Google. If you’re feeling creative then the hardware part can be made at home with some 45mm lenses and some cardboard – Google have published a guide on exactly what you need and how to build it that can be found at g.co/cardboard. If you’re like me and not very good at building things then you can buy the complete system.

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Google have released a VR toolkit and some Chrome experiments to go along with it. From what started as a side project for one single Google employee has really grown into something almost magical.

The Hardware I got was from I AM CARDBOARD found on Amazon. The products range in price from £17.95 to £21.95 depending on colours and if you want NFC. It comes with clear instructions on how to fold it together as part of the packaging and also has the lenses and magnets already in place. This means no fiddling around, just straight into playing. The build quality (if you can call it that) is very impressive and feels like it will last a while before getting recycled.

 

The Cardboard app once you have the VR headset on feels like magic. I haven’t had the chance to use the Oculus Rift yet so this is my first VR experience. There are 7 demos with a tutorial inside the app itself. Out of all of them, the ones that impressed me most are the 3D Object Viewer, Tour Guide and YouTube. 3D Object Viewer is essentially a single object gallery in which a few 3D renders of art (one at a time) are displayed in front of you, and by turning your head you get a full 360 degree view of them. Tour Guide grants you a VR tour of the Palace of Versailles. While the quality isn’t the best you still get to feel how beautiful the palace is with a nice accompanying audio tour of some of its history. With this as a template I’d hope we will get some more places to visit soon as the functionality could be applied to anywhere. The app that really stood out for me is the YouTube app. It feels like the Architect Scene from the Matrix Reloaded as when you look around you have loads of different screens that you can select with the side button. This triggers the video to start playing full ‘screen’ in front of you. The only downside is it isn’t currently linked to your YouTube account, otherwise all my YouTube viewing would be done this way from now on.

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As well as the Android Cardboard app you can play with the Chrome experiments they have published, including a few little games and 3D videos. In my experience these weren’t quite as smooth but that could be trying to run them on my dual core Moto X. With the tool kit now in the hands of the public I really hope to see some great apps coming to Android that will utilise the potential of this technology. Also, depending on where Google take this it could be entirely possible that we will all soon use our mobile phones to view computer games, in much the same way the Oculus Rift is intended for. Something I would love to happen is table top games with friends such as X-wing and Warhammer realised over this medium.

 

So if you fancy a bit of magic in your day I’d strongly recommend making or buying your own personal VR headset. Everyone who has had a play with mine has been truly impressed with what can be done with such simple tools and some very smart minds, and I expect you’ll be the same.

Play Store

 

I Am Cardboard on Amazon

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