Google Cardboard, a fold-out smartphone app that provides users with a virtual reality experience, has been expanding ever since it was introduced in June 2014. Google just announced a new program called "Works with Google Cardboard," bringing together third-party Cardboard viewers.
The program will essentially certify Cardboard viewers with a small orange badge. The program should help to guarantee compatibility with viewers and offer users a better user experience.
"It's what we dreamed about when we folded our first piece of cardboard, and combined it with a smartphone: a VR experience for everyone! And less than a year later, there's a tremendous diversity of VR viewers and apps to choose from. To keep this creativity going, however, we also need to invest in compatibility," said Google in a blog post.
"That's why we're announcing a new program called Works with Google Cardboard. At its core, the program enables any Cardboard viewer to work well with any Cardboard app. And the result is more awesome VR for all of us."
Cardboard has been making a big impact for a number of reasons. First of all, it comes at a time when virtual reality is becoming increasingly popular and attractive to users. Not only that, but the platform is extremely cheap — allowing anyone to turn their smartphone into a virtual reality display for under $20.
In order to get their viewers certified, manufacturers of Cardboard headsets will simply need to make sure their headsets follow a set of guidelines and then send an application to Google. Developers creating a Cardboard app should follow the "Designing for Google Cardboard" guidelines.
Within the guidelines, manufacturers will need to define parameters like focal length, input type and inter-lens distance, and then place a QR code on the viewer, which designates these parameters. Then, users who buy the headset will simply need to scan the code and their phones will automatically be calibrated for use with the headset.
The move is a good one for Google as the Cardboard program continues to grow. Not only will it ensure a certain standard in Cardboard, it will help consumers decide which headsets are worth buying and which ones they should avoid. It will also help consumers know which apps to download, rather than simply downloading too many apps and then deleting them through trial and error.
Cardboard is a great alternative to forking out money for a dedicated headset such as the Oculus Rift or Sony's Project Morpheus. Google Cardboard could very well be the way of the future for consumer-level virtual reality.
