Virtual reality is currently a field in which companies like Oculus VR and Sony are known in. Google not so much, although the company does have Google Glass, although we guess that doesn’t really count as virtual reality. That being said, it seems that Google has entertained ideas of virtual reality thanks to a project that they are calling Cardboard.
As you can see in the image above, it looks like a virtual reality headset and if you thought that it was a joke, think again. Apparently it is very real, according to a website setup by Google. According to the project’s description, “Virtual reality has made exciting progress over the past several years. However, developing for VR still requires expensive, specialized hardware. Thinking about how to make VR accessible to more people, a group of VR enthusiasts at Google experimented with using a smartphone to drive VR experiences.”
Essentially this is a DIY project that sees the user placing their smartphone into a headset-shaped piece of cardboard to create a virtual reality headset for themselves. What it involves is several pieces of items that you can buy at your local hardware store, like cardboard, magnets, velcro, and so on. The only slightly more difficult component to obtain would be a pair of 40mm lenses that will help keep your eyes focused on the content on your smartphone’s screen.
The content on your phone’s screen will come from an app available via Google Play. The app will provide the wearer with VR tours using Google Earth and will take you through some scenic cities around the world. It will also allow users to watch YouTube videos. Pretty cool, huh? However according to some who have tried it out, it’s not as smooth as more refined VR headsets like the Oculus Rift and left some feeling a bit of motion sickness at the end.
In any case it is an interesting albeit novel idea and if you’d like to learn more, head on over to its website for the details.
Google Cardboard Is Virtual Reality On The Cheap , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.