GOOGLE CARDBOARD<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n Depending on how you look at it, the best or worst thing about Google Cardboard is that it\u2019s cheap– in fact, usually less than $15. To use a Cardboard, the only hardware necessary is a smartphone. Unlike other headsets, there are no wires or bulky desktop computers. These factors alone make Cardboard the most popular headset on the market.<\/a> Google designed this headset to be perfect for \u201csnackable\u201d experiences,<\/a> meaning short, easily digestible content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In my opinion, Cardboard is perfect for showing off 360\u00b0 photos and videos, like our 360\u00ba Skydive app (iOS<\/a> and Android<\/a>) or Youtube 360<\/a>, as well as mini games that don\u2019t require complex controls. Apps for Google Cardboard can be distributed using the Google Play Store and Apple\u2019s App Store, which is great because smartphone users already have access to these marketplaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a UX professional, my specialty is thinking about how users interact with, manage, manipulate, and view content and making that process as painless and intuitive as possible. Cardboards have two very simple interactions. The first is the use of the device\u2019s gyroscope. This allows the app to detect the phone\u2019s orientation, giving it the ability to display the corresponding portion of the content. Users then have the ability to turn around and look up or down to look around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to the use of the gyroscope to look around, it can also be used for navigation. Gaze-based navigation is where the user looks at an object for a certain amount of time in order to initiate an action. It often takes the form of a small loading sequence or animation that begins when a user\u2019s focus is on an actionable element. Apps that use gaze-based navigation can sometimes have a reticle, which is like a mouse pointer that\u2019s always in the middle of the user\u2019s view to ensure the user is effortlessly aware of where any intended action is focused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The second form of interaction is through the use of a button located on the top right side of some Cardboards \u2013\u2013 similar to a handheld camera. Instead of gazing at an object and waiting for it to register, it can be used to \u201cclick\u201d on objects, similar to a mouse or trackpad click. This allows users to look around a scene and point the reticle at an object, then tap the button to click on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In short, Google Cardboards are incredibly simple, making them ideal for short, snackable experiences. Conversely, their simplicity can be limiting as well. If done poorly, interacting with the content can be difficult (gaze-based navigation isn\u2019t always easy or convenient) and the transitions in and out of the headset can be awkward. To combat this, we\u2019ve implemented a shake to restart function in a few of our Cardboard apps<\/a>. This action prevents the user from taking the device out of the headset every time the user wants to restart a video. Another option is to use the phone\u2019s microphone to speak directions. In my opinion, the available technology to interpret voice commands isn\u2019t great yet and sometimes speaking out loud to one\u2019s phone isn\u2019t socially acceptable. There are also Bluetooth controllers<\/a> than can make interaction more familiar to users, but these surely turn your $15 investment into something more expensive.<\/p>\n\n\n As of this week, Google has announced an <\/strong>all-new VR platform called Daydream<\/strong><\/a>. Google will be building its own VR headset (which will be more user-friendly and sturdier than a Cardboard), as well as releasing its specifications so that other hardware manufacturers can create \u201cDaydream-ready headsets\u201d.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Controllers will be a mandatory part of VR on Android after Daydream launches this fall. This is exciting news since the interaction on the Cardboard is currently so limited! Google\u2019s motion-based controller has a circular touchpad on top with a handful of buttons, including two volume buttons. All indications point to Google getting very serious about VR on Android. We\u2019re super stoked about Daydream and we\u2019ll be writing more about it as we get closer to the launch date, so stay tuned for that!<\/p>\n\n\n\n GOOGLE GLASS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Google Glass isn\u2019t strictly virtual reality and it\u2019s not immersive like most of the headsets in this post, but I\u2019ve included it because it\u2019s tech that lives close to users\u2019 eyes and is interactive. The first version (which is no longer available) was $1,500 and very few were sold, which made the audience of any Glass-enabled apps fairly small. Google Glass functions at its best when connected to a device, and is currently compatible with Android and iOS devices. I\u2019ve also read rumors that Google is working on a new version of Glass but, if true, it is surely several months away, if not more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Google Glass has a few input methods: a simple touchpad on the side, a gyroscope, a wink sensor<\/a>, and microphone, which responds to \u201cOkay, Glass\u201d. Unfortunately, Glass users were met with quite a bit of social stigma, partially because people were afraid they were being filmed without their knowledge. Unlike most of these headsets, the display in the first iteration of the Glass was pretty low quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Overall, I\u2019m excited to see what Google does with their Glass technology. We are finding that more and more large companies are getting into the wearable space and heads-up displays have been featured in science fiction for decades, making it only a matter of time before smart glasses become mainstream. I\u2019d imagine that the distribution of apps will be similar to Android Wear smartwatch apps — through the Google Play Store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n HTC VIVE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n The HTC Vive (created in partnership with Valve<\/a>) is gaining serious traction as an alternative, immersive way to play PC games. It\u2019s available for preorder now, and will ship in June. It\u2019s not cheap to say the least, running at $800 (plus the cost of a VR ready PC, which can cost around $1.5k). It sports a 2160 by 1800 pixel display, which is no surprise, given HTC’s history of making high resolution mobile phone screens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Vive is unique because it allows the player to move in a small physical space (like a living room) and will translate those movements into 3D world space. (To see this in action, check out this video of a Disney animator \u201cpainting\u201d in 3D space.<\/a>) This makes for an interesting dynamic since many of the games rely on worlds that are much \u2018bigger\u2019 than that of your living room. Navigating through these often huge worlds, using only a 5\u2019 by 5\u2019 space, all while preventing motion sickness requires a great deal of creativity on the part of game creators. Game developers who choose to publish Vive-ready games get to take advantage of the hugely successful Steam platform, which sold an estimated $3.5 billion<\/a> worth of games in 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Vive ships with two handheld controllers (each with a touchpad, a few buttons, and 24 motion-tracking sensors). These allow the user to manipulate objects in world space in a way that mirrors real life. Most of us are used to moving a lever with a quick flip of a thumbstick, but the Vive\u2019s controllers allow users to \u201cgrab\u201d it and move it in 3D space with the shoulder\u2019s full range of movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Overall, the Vive is an incredible piece of technology that has functionality we\u2019ve yet to see in consumer-facing products. It\u2019s backed by a popular distribution platform, so developers should have no problems getting games into users\u2019 hands. It\u2019s not nearly as cheap or portable as Google Cardboard or Samsung Gear VR, but it\u2019s far more powerful than both. If you\u2019re looking for the next big thing in gaming, look no further than the HTC Vive and the Facebook-owned Oculus Rift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n OCULUS RIFT<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n The Oculus Rift<\/a> started as a $2.5 million Kickstarter campaign in 2012, then was bought by Facebook in 2014 for $2 billion. The development kits have been available for a few years now, unlike the Vive development kits, which came out earlier this year. It\u2019s fairly similar to the Vive in technology and intended use case.<\/a> The consumer version started shipping earlier this spring (although some shipments have been delayed, frustrating buyers). It costs $599, but also requires a powerful computer (bundles<\/a> start at $1500).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Users can interact with Rift games using a keyboard (if they are sitting), an Xbox controller<\/a>, the Oculus Remote<\/a> (a small, pill-shaped device with a touchpad and a few buttons), and the yet-to-be-released Oculus Touch<\/a> (a pair of motion controllers with a handful of buttons). In my mind, Touch is the most intriguing input type: it allows users to pick items up and manipulate them, much like the Vive controllers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The consumer version of the Rift comes with removable on-ear headphones which make use of the Rift\u2019s 3D Audio Spatialization system, which allows developers to make it seem like a sound is coming from a specific point in 3D space. The realistic audio spatialization increases immersion significantly, to say the least. For example, when I was using the Vive here in the office, I had only one headphone in so I could hear the developer talking to me about what I was seeing. In that moment, it seemed like that ear was my only connection to the real world. Rift-ready games can be published on the Oculus store<\/a> or on Valve\u2019s Steam<\/a> platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n SAMSUNG GEAR VR<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n The Gear VR is essentially an upgraded Google Cardboard, but it\u2019s made specifically for a handful of Samsung phones. Samsung built it alongside the Oculus team, showing that it isn\u2019t viewed as a true competitor in the high end headset market. Like the Cardboard, it\u2019s meant for snack-sized experiences, since it\u2019s dependent on a phone\u2019s battery. Because it uses a phone as the screen and processor, the headset itself is wireless. Unfortunately, it\u2019s not nearly as attractive in terms of looks as the Rift or Vive. Currently, it\u2019s being sold for $100 (but sometimes comes packaged with the phones it works with).<\/p>\n\n\n\n One thing that makes the Gear VR significantly better than the Cardboard is the directional pad on the right side of the headset. The Cardboard\u2019s one button pales in comparison to this \u201cD-pad\u201d– it actually makes gaze-based navigation unnecessary since users can use the four directional buttons to navigate between menu options. Like the Cardboard, users can purchase a gamepad<\/a> to extend the number of input options, or even try out Samsung\u2019s new Rink product<\/a>. Samsung has put some serious thought into user interaction with VR experiences– how to navigate a list, how to go back, how to select an option, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For being so inexpensive, it functions quite well and has a decent number of input options, but the major bummer is that it\u2019s only intended for use with a handful of phones. In my opinion, it\u2019s at it\u2019s best when playing simple games, watching 360\u00b0 videos, and experiencing other basic VR content. Additionally, Samsung has released a Gear VR web browser, but it seems the best use of it so far is accessing YouTube.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Samsung is far from done making VR headsets. In fact, Variety<\/em> reports<\/a> that Injong Rhee revealed at Samsung\u2019s developer conference that Samsung is working on standalone, wireless headset that might not require a phone and will have positional head tracking like the Rift and Vive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n PLAYSTATION VR<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.gravityjack.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/gj_cardboard4-1-1024x682-1.jpg\")
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