Its this same spirit that inspired our team to turn a smartphone, and some cardboard, into a virtual reality (VR) viewer earlier this year. Suddenly, exploring the Palace of Versailles was as easy as opening an app. And the response was kind of delightful.
Weve been working to improve Google Cardboard ever since. And todaywith more than half a million Cardboard viewers in peoples handsweve got a fresh round of updates for users, developers, and makers.
For users: more apps to enjoy, and more places to buy
There are now dozens of Cardboard-compatible apps on Google Play, and starting today were dedicating a new collection page to some of our favorites. These VR experiences range from test drives to live concerts to fully-immersive games, and they all have something amazing to offer. So give em a try today, and download the new Cardboard app to watch the collection grow over time.
If you dont have a Cardboard viewer yet, you can now pick one up from DODOcase, I Am Cardboard, Knoxlabs, and Unofficial Cardboard. And of course you can always build your own (with new specs below!).
For developers: SDKs for Android and Unity
If youve ever tried creating a VR application, then youve probably wrestled with issues like lens distortion correction, head tracking, and side-by-side rendering. Its important to get these things right, but they can suck up all your timetime youd rather spend on gameplay or graphics.
We want to give you that time back, so today were introducing Cardboard SDKs for Android and Unity. The SDKs simplify common VR development tasks so you can focus on your awesome, immersive app. And with both Android and Unity support, you can use the tools you already know and love. Download the SDKs today, and check out apps like Caaaaardboard! and Tilt Brush Gallery to see whats already possible.
For makers: tool-specific specs, and custom viewer calibration
To help bring VR experiences to everyone, we open sourced a Cardboard viewer specification earlier this year. Since then weve seen all sorts of viewers from all sorts of makers, and today were investing in this community even further.
For starters, were publishing new building specs with specific cutting tools in mind. So whether youre laser- or die-cutting your Cardboard viewers in high quantities, or carving single units with a blade, weve got you covered.
Once youve got your custom viewer, we also want to help you tailor the viewing experience to its unique optical layout. So early next year well be adding a viewer calibration tool to the Cardboard SDK. Youll be able to define your viewers base and focal length, for example, then have every Cardboard app adjust accordingly.
For the future: watch this space, and were hiring
The growth of mobile, and the acceleration of open platforms like Android make it an especially exciting time for VR. There are more devices, and more enthusiastic developers than ever before, and we cant wait to see whats next! Were also working on a few projects ourselves, so if youre passionate about VR, you should know were hiring.
Heres to the cardboard box, and all the awesome it brings.
by Andrew Nartker, Product Manager, Google Cardboard
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