Google launches the new YouTube VR app which is now available for download on the PlayStore for free.
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On a few occasions when taking turns playing Daydream games and competing with my kids over the course of an hour or more, we would begin to see performance issues such as stuttering and choppiness. The two are now live on the Play Store and ready to be downloaded as soon as the Daydream View is released in the market.
Google recently launched its “Daydream View” virtual reality headset priced at $79 (approximately Rs 5,200).
There are 50+ “experiences” coming to the system before the end of the year including apps and games.
“The app even includes some familiar features like voice search and a signed in experience so you can follow the channels you subscribe to, check out your playlists and more”. It’s available in three colours: Slate (as photographed), Snow and Crimson.
The button layout is simple too, so it’s easy to use when you’re immersed in a VR experience and can’t look down. The jury’s still out on this one.
You can always invest in a third-party controller for a headset like the Samsung Gear VR, but so many people don’t do it right away – or at all.
Other phones running Android 7 will come in 2017 but for now it’s only the Pixel and Pixel XL. While Daydream works only with Pixel for now, several other Android makers plan to make compatible phones. Instead, the phone just gets sandwiched into the viewer, and held in place with an elastic rubber band. Here’s everything you need to know.
The library of Daydream content is a little thin in terms of titles available at launch, especially compared to the decent size of Gear VR’s available options. This was brilliantly responsive with no latency that we could detect.
The controller is also a nice touch, something we haven’t seen with cheaper headsets so far. No learning curve whatsoever. I’ve been able to spend most of the past week with one to familiarize myself with the virtual reality headset and take in some content, like games and other experiences.
The headset’s other big advantage over Cardboard and Gear VR is that it comes with a controller. Both apps give Gear VR wearers a first person vantage point.
This is what the home screen looks like, it’s really attractive, by the way, note there’s a link to the Play Store at the bottom.
With Gear VR, I have to move my head to point a cursor at something, then reach for a button on the headset. It was all very natural to use and we got the hang of it pretty quickly. All of this by itself made it a lot easier to navigate through those apps, but it could also allow developers to build a lot more immersive 3D worlds that allow users to look at objects from all sides without any of the positional tracking that high-end VR headsets like Oculus Rift and HTC Vive are using.
Not only that but all videos on YouTube can be watched by the user and he can do so in a VR space. It’s super fun, and nearly woth the £69 just for this game.
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It’s also a different take on the phone-as-a-VR-machine concept, with a design that looks more like something out of an athleisure clothing catalog than the latest tech gadget. However, you can plug in your phone (and use earphones) while it’s in the headset without a problem.
