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Do you actually use smartphone-based VR systems? (Daydream, Cardboard, Gear VR)

02/14/2017 at 3:33 PM by Brad Linder Leave a Comment

A few weeks ago a friend who doesn’t keep up on the latest tech trends asked me about virtual reality, so I explained that right now you can break things into expensive, PC-based systems like the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, or cheaper, but less powerful smartphone-based solutions like Samsung Gear VR, Google Daydream, and Google Cardboard.

Then I handed him a $10 Cardboard headset, put his phone inside, and showed him a few 360 degree YouTube videos. He was blown away and asked where he could get a headset.

I told him to take mine. I have a spare… but I also almost never use them anymore. The novelty has worn off, I told him. And after watching a few more videos or trying a few more apps, I assured him he’d probably let his new headset collect dust too.

So when I saw an article on Android Police suggesting that Google Daydream doesn’t fix “VR’s biggest problem,” I found myself nodding in agreement as I read.

The gist of blogger David Ruddock’s argument is that today’s virtual reality experiences just aren’t all that enjoyable… and certainly don’t really stand up to repeat use.

Sure, you might play a game, take a virtual train ride, explore the solar system, or watch an immersive video once or twice. But a lot of existing VR apps offer pretty short experiences that you probably won’t feel the urge to repeat very often.

Combine that with relatively low-resolution displays that exhibit a “screen door”effect and limited support for motion or engaging any of the five senses other than sight (and maybe sound if you have a good set of headphones), and Cardboard/Daydream/Gear VR style devices feel like a novelty that’s really cool for a few minutes… and then quickly feels unnecessary.

In order to fit my phone into a headset, I usually have to take it out of its protective case first, and I very rarely encounter a VR or 360-degree experience that looks interesting enough to tempt me to do that.

I suppose gamers looking for more immersive experiences might be willing to spend money on a PlayStation VR, HTC Vive, or Oculus Rift to get a better experience… but the limitations of existing VR systems means that games will probably still look better on a TV than they do in a headset.

I do appreciate that Cardboard-style devices make it possible to experiment with VR just by spending a few bucks on an accessory for a device you may already own (a smartphone). But like Ruddock, I just don’t find a lot of reason to use these devices on a day-to-day basis once the novelty of a new app or video wears off.

What about you? Do you have any sort of smartphone-based VR headset? Do you use it regularly? Or has it been sitting on a shelf for months the way mine has?

Keep in mind, what I’m asking in this poll isn’t if you’ve ever used a VR headset. It’s if you’ve continued to regularly use one after owning one for more than a few days.

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Chris K.
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Chris K.
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My experience is pretty much the same as yours. It’s a novelty thing to bring out once every few months for a specific app (a roller coaster simulator, a View-Master, a few minutes of a football game on the Fox Sports one, etc). But it’s absolutely nothing that I’ve felt the need to use on a regular basis, and I can’t imagine ever spending more than $20 on one.

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2 years ago
PPM
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PPM
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Screen door effect, it must be fixed for VR to have a chance of taking off.

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2 years ago
12John34
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I usually play with cheaper Chinese Android phones, that don’t have a gyroscope that I think it is necessary for cardboard/daydream/whatever. But for a period I did had a Xiaomi that had gyro and was able to play a little “VR” and I really liked a couple 3D programs that I run. Didn’t really cared that much about videos.

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2 years ago
Caitlin Bestler
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I think the real limitaiton on VR is that the human mind is already to capable of projecting the player into a screen and simply ignoring everything in the peripheral vision. As a movelty the total immersion is cool, but if a game is good enough to absorb your attention for hours do you really need artificially enhanced total immersion?

Players have been developing “Civ Neck” for two decades now. That sounds pretty immersive to me.

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2 years ago
YCAU
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YCAU
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In short, yes, but it doesn’t end there. Motion control is the next big step in immersion, and it opens the doors for a lot of extra utility. For example, pool can be fun on a screen, but VR pool using two hands to hold a stick, that’s way better, and still cheaper than a real pool table and the space to keep it. Granted, mobile VR isn’t quite there yet, but I imagine there are ping pong games and the like for Daydream that bring the immersion beyond just a screen with head tracking.

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2 years ago
D-Man79
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D-Man79
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I enjoy floating in space while listening to music and zoning out on the weekends that I am able to.

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2 years ago
LittleOtterPaws
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All phone VR does is confuse the consumer. It is most certainly NOT the future of VR, PC and Console versions are.

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2 years ago
Jonathan Rayne
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The experience is nice on my Pixel, but there just isn’t enough content right now on mobile to make it worthwhile. Still waiting for the ability to display non-VR apps in VR mode — if I could just browse the internet or open a non-VR app in a virtual screen then that would be a welcome change.

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2 years ago
CampGareth
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I really liked google’s get used to VR with a snow fox when I got my google cardboard, but 360 degree youtube videos weren’t that enjoyable due to sensor drift slowly moving the interesting bits of video into positions for people without bones in their neck. I did like VRidge or whatever it’s called to use your phone as a VR headset for your PC, that was neat apart from the lag. Who knew phones struggle receiving and decoding 30mbit/s video streams, or that you can’t do much with less than that as 2560×1440 streams kinda need the bitrate.

If wifi performance improved to the point where VRidge works well then maybe I’d use my phone for VR more, but as a cheaper version of a HTC Vive basically.

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2 years ago
YCAU
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I use my Vive a lot, and I would probably use Cardboard more if it weren’t for the Vive. Still, if I’m fooling around with a concept in Unity, it’s sometimes quicker to whip up a build and pop it on my phone than get something working for the Vive and test it there.

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2 years ago
Cirrell Battle
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Cirrell Battle
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I use Trinus VR with my plastic Google Cardboard headset and a gyroscopic mouse to play PC games in “VR”. Most of the times it’s a very enjoyable experience. Occasionally I do run into a hiccup or two but the ends justify the means right now.

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2 years ago

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