The chip virtual reality headset Daydream View by Google will launch November 10 in the US at Verizon and Best Buy for $79. It will also be available in the UK, Australia, Germany and Canada, the firm announced Tuesday.
The device needs to be connected to a smartphone that supports it so users can immerse into its VR content and use its controller to interact with the world they view on the screen. The Google-made Pixel smartphone is the only one that is capable of running Daydream smoothly. More devices are being produced, and the capability will most likely come as standard in future high-performance Android smartphones.
Hulu, the New York Times, The Guardian, and Wall Street Journal have signed on to support Daydream, as well as YouTube, Google Play, Street View, several games and other Google platforms, as reported by PC Magazine.
A successor to Google’s DIY Cardboard headset, Daydream represents the company’s bet that it will help introduce consumers cheaply and easily to virtual reality. Unlike competitors such as Facebook’s Oculus, Sony and HTC, which require connections with high-end computers or gaming consoles to work, Google has made a VR headset that users slot their smartphones into and a remote control with a built-in motion sensor.
VR content on Daydream View
Potterheads will be happy to learn that Daydream-ready VR experiences include Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them to let them explore the world created by J.K. Rowling, a prequel which will bring five movies.
Google also announced that Daydream users would be able to play Star Chart VR to explore the solar system, Danger Goat to search a runaway goat, and Hunters Gate where they will defend the town from demon invasion, according to Business Insider.
“With Daydream View and a Daydream-ready phone like Pixel, you’ll be able to kick back in your personal cinema, explore new worlds and get in the game like never before,” as written in a blog post by Google VR director of product management Mike Jazayeri.
Available in the U.S., the Hulu VR app lets users go through a complete library of TV shows, movies and VR content, including the comedy show Virtually Mike and Nora starring Mike O’ Brien and Nora Kirkpatrick exclusively available on Daydream. The platform also features a news program called The Big Picture: News in Virtual Reality.
In Canada, the Daydream View will be available on Bell, Rogers, Telus, and Best Buy for $99. In the United Kingdom, the headset will be sold at EE and Carphone Warehouse for £69 (GBP). The device will cost €69 in Germany’s Deutsche Telekom and $199 (AUD) in Australia’s Telstra and JB Hi-Fi.
Source: PC Mag