Google Cardboard
If you've been following the Wiliam blog, you'll know that we've been playing with the Oculus Rift in office for a few months now. But wow! That $350.00 price tag is a bit heavy for something that you might just want to fiddle a little with. Here's where Google Cardboard comes in.
No, it's not Google branded paper, if that's what you're thinking. Its a low cost VR headset that uses your smart phone. Its a card board cut out that you can fold up like a box. It houses your smart phone, and sports a pair of cheap lenses and magnetic input button. Cost: around $8, if you're going for an unbranded knock off. Ok, Google have cheated a bit by using your smart phone, but given that you probably have a smart phone already I wouldn't factor that as a cost. Your smart phone has a compass and gyroscope requried to make the VR work just like the Rift.
Once you assemble the cardboard housing, you can test out the Google Cardboard app, which is free on Google Play store. The app is a collection of steroscopic demos, similar to those shipped with the Rift. Otherwise, just start up your VR application on your phone, and pop it in the housing and away you go. No, its not as immersive as the Rift. External light gets into the cardboard enclosure. There's no ergonomic head strap, I held mine to my face with my hands. There's no comform foam and it definitely feels "cheap". But it gives you the same nausiating sensations for less than $10. Its a bargain.
