Google’s first major virtual reality effort is off to a slow start.
This week, the company slashed the price of its Daydream View VR headset by $30, from $79 to $49, just two months after it first went on sale, a sign that interest in the device is low relative to the excellent new Pixel phone from Google.
A FEW MINUTES after Google CEO Sundar Pichai finished speaking to the crowd at a Google developer conference one sunny June morning in 2014, Jon Wiley made his way over to a newly unveiled booth inside San Francisco’s Moscone conference center, where the event was being held.
Starting Thursday, Google’s next step in its attempt to bring virtual-reality to the masses will launch. Owners of a Google Pixel smartphone can purchase the Daydream View headset for $79 from various retail outlets or directly from Google to take advantage of the new platform.
GOOGLE’S DAYDREAM VIEW feels nothing like other virtual reality headsets I’ve tried. It’s not heavy or plasticky, it doesn’t take an hour to set up, and it doesn’t require a high-end PC. No cables appear to be involved. Really, the only similarity with the others is that you look silly wearing it.
