Update: Autonomous virtual reality has finally reached the Daydream platform. This is thanks to the headset Lenovo Mirage Solo which is on sale today.
The headset works in a similar way to your standard Android phone, although, of course, once you put it on it, you are transported to a world of virtual reality. The headset has an impressive WorldSense tracking, so it will make a Track your head in the real world when it comes to the virtual world.
The Daydream platform itself is still limited in terms of applications and games available, and at $ 399, the Lenovo Mirage Solo is an expensive piece of hardware. However, it is very comfortable and easy to set up, making it a solid new entry into the VR headset space.
The original article continues below …
Daydream is Google's platform for bringing virtual reality (VR) to mobile devices and independent VR headsets, and is quite different from Google Cardboard to say least.
Unlike Cardboard, which aimed to get people to enter the VR door with low cost and indulgent power requirements, Daydream is a more robust vision that aims to provide higher quality experiences to users of Android Oreo and more.
But it goes beyond Google's own hardware and software. Google has partnered with partners to create Daydream headsets, namely Lenovo and the newly launched Lenovo Mirage Solo headset.
Google Daydream is about providing exciting and absorbing virtual reality experiences to those who do not want to invest in an expensive HTC Vive or Oculus Rift VR headsets (although the Lenovo Solo Mirage It costs as much as Oculus Rift). Here is everything you need to know about it.
Cut to the hunt
- What is it? Google's high-quality virtual reality platform
- When is it coming out? Now
- What will it be? cost? $ 99 / £ 99 (around AU $ 125) for Daydream View, although independent headphones are more expensive
Headphones Google Daydream View
Do you want to start with Daydream? Google has its own headphones that you can use with phones ready for Daydream.
It's called Google Daydream View (2017) and, unlike other VR headsets we've seen before, it has a material design … just like the Android operating system. There is a latch on the front to slide your phone and the driver for the headset is included.
Google Daydream View (2017)
Last year, Google invited other device manufacturers to create their own Daydream headphones. In Google IO 2017, it became clear that the device manufacturers responded, with dedicated and independent Daydream headsets in the works, although one prominent manufacturer eventually withdrew.
Netflix, HBO and Hulu have all the applications ready for Daydream available now, plus The New York Times has also launched an application for their virtual reality videos.
In addition, Google has also made its own applications compatible with the Daydream platform. That includes Play Movies, Photos, Maps and YouTube.
Daydream becomes independent
During Google IO 2017, the firm officially confirmed the well-informed rumor that it would launch independent Daydream headsets with a selection of hardware partners.
This means that all the parts needed to conduct the Daydream experience will be inside these headphones. There is no need for a phone, PC or even any cable.
Those first partners included Qualcomm, with which Google built a reference design, HTC and Lenovo.
However, HTC eventually stopped manufacturing an independent Daydream headset, opting instead to focus on its own independent VR headset, the HTC Vive Focus.
That headset will be launched around the world later this year.
The most prominent feature of Lenovo's Mirage Solo is Google's new WorldSense tracking technology, a series of sensors that provide all the tracking of movement and the sense of presence that, say, , the sensor array of a smartphone.
As Daydream is deeply integrated into Android, Google has put the entire Play Store in view while using a Daydream headset. [19659009] Google Play Store acquires a familiar look in the virtual reality space, and each application has its own classification and description. Google has also added the level of movement you will experience within each application, just so you know what kind of immersion you are getting into.
Performance
Daydream requires these three pillars to be a viable VR option: smartphones optimized for VR, with a high quality on-chip system (SoC) to maintain a reproduction of 60 frames per second, low persistence screens to eliminate the phantom effect and the delay, and finally, first level sensors that operate with a minimum latency to increase the sensation of presence.
So, what kind of performance can we reasonably expect from it? Well, I would be right to think that it really depends on the power of the phone that is inside.
Google's new Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL phones include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor and 4 GB of RAM. You can bet that these devices are ready to boost high-quality virtual reality experiences.
In addition, the Lenovo Mirage Solo also includes a Snapdragon 835 chipset and 4 GB of RAM.
