Google Cardboard Review

It is true to say that virtual reality headsets are still a relatively new technology. It has only been 2015 where they have started to become available to the public such as with Samsung’s VR headset, LG’s attempt too and Google Cardboard. To be fair, it was Google Cardboard that was the first ‘guys’ on the market that brought VR. Considering it is Google, what is Google Cardboard like? Here is a review of Google Cardboard.

The first thing you will notice is that it is not the best value for money. Google Cardboard gets its name because it is literally Cardboard….the only reason it is priced so high is because VR is a new sort of technology (there are many cheaper and better versions of Google Cardboard on eBay – just as a heads up).

Google Cardboard works by attaching the phone to the Cardboard box around 10cm away from your eyes. By looking into two lenses and dividing the video up on your phone into two, it helps to produce a 3D virtual reality affect that works alongside the sensors on the phone such as the gyro, tilt so that when you turn around, you also turn around in your virtual reality.

The Pros: Google Cardboard brings virtual reality to the public and boy is it exciting. The experience of being able to look around another reality or look around a video as it happens cannot be beaten. I can definitely see this to be the future of gaming in the next five years at least.

The Cons: Unfortunately, there are more cons with Google Cardboard than there are pros. Firstly, the quality you get from the videos and experiences through Google Cardboard are, let’s just say, not that high a quality. This is because the cameras that filmed the videos, to make it VR, have to be 360 degrees which reduces the resolution of the VR experience.

As well as this, it can sometimes be quite hard to focus when using Google Cardboard. The reason for this is because when you see something in real life far away, your eyes will focus to see it. With VR, you do not need to do this. Therefore, I tend to find my eyes will try to focus something in the distance in VR causing the whole experience to go very blurry! Hopefully, this is just a problem I am facing which will not affect others or, at least, be something that is only temporary to first using VR headsets.

Ultimately, buy Google Cardboard not because it is worth it but to try out virtual reality for itself. It is a new and exciting technology that Google wants to share with the public.