When it was announced earlier this year, Google Cardboard gave the public an interesting and informative take on virtual reality: you don't need to spend hundreds of dollars to get hooked up to an immersive headset experience.
Cardboard is a literal piece of cardboard that comes DIY-style with lenses, a magnet, a hook-and-loop fastener and a rubber band. When assembled, the headset is held against the face with the included rubber band and includes a mount for a smartphone. When a stereoscopic app is fired up, the lenses allow a user to perceive both images as one three-dimensional 'immersive' experience.
While Stereoscopic 3D is making waves these days as the public becomes more interested in VR experiences, the concept itself is actually very old. The idea of three-dimensional photographs, or stereoscope, was invented in 1838 by a Victorian-era scientist and inventor named Sir Charles Wheatstone. He used drawings because using photographs was not yet an available option.
With head-mounted virtual or augmented reality devices such as Google Glass, Oculus Rift and Sony's Project Morpheus selling for hundreds or thousands of dollars, it's refreshing to see that this technology can be done with something as simple as a cardboard and an app.
While the announcement was surely great news for everybody, it left legions of Apple iPhone users feeling like they weren't invited to the party...except that you actually can use Cardboard with your beloved iPhone by using a simple tweak.
The biggest hardware difference (in the case of Cardboard anyways) is the thickness of the devices themselves. Google's devices are traditionally thicker than the slim and minimal iPhones so the goal is to thicken the iPhone with a chunky case. Once this is done, the difference between using an iPhone or an Android device is near-indistinguishable.
Where VR on mobile devices will really shine though is almost entirely dependent on the apps that will provide the immersive experience. Sadly, the current options are limited due to a relatively low demand. However, just like photo apps took off with the addition of better cameras on iPhones, it's safe to say that the app store will have plenty of options in the near future. If you're a developer, Google has even supplied you with a VR Toolkit to get your app concepts out there quickly and easily.
If you want to take your iPhone for a VR spin, head over to Google Cardboard to download the hardware build instructions.
