By akademiotoelektronik, 04/02/2022
Cardboard iOS – Experience VR on your iPhone
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For several months, the iOS version of YouTube allows the use of Google Cardboard. Despite the arrival of Google DayDream, the function is still available for owners of Apple devices. The Google Cardboard iOS still has a bright future ahead of it.
Since May 2016, iPhone users can use Google Cardboard virtual reality headsets on YouTube. This option has been available for Android mobiles since November 2015. The fact that Google owns Android and YouTube explains this delay on iOS.
Since September 2016, it is also possible to use the Cardboard Camera app on iOS. This application simply allows you to create 360 degree 3D photos using the iPhone's camera. Photos can then be freely shared. According to Google, more than 5 million VR photos have been created since the software launched. Just like the YouTube app, Cardboard Camera was first featured on the Android Play Store, since December 2015.
If this compatibility may seem anecdotal, it says a lot about Google's virtual reality strategy. The Cardboard was launched in 2015 and represents a great gateway to virtual reality for the general public. Today, this helmet made of cardboard and two lenses remains, for ten dollars, the most economical way to enjoy VR.
iOS audiences yet to convert to VR
With an unbeatable price, and an Open Source design, the objective of Cardboard is not to make a profit, but to introduce the public to virtual reality. And one of the most buoyant markets for VR is 360° video. YouTube has thus very quickly become the largest 3D video bank on the net. Google intends to maintain this position, and the cardboard helmet is still part of its strategy despite the announcement of a new helmet, hard this time.
Developing the Cardboard iOS was essential, because the Apple audience represents a large share of the smartphone market. This introduction therefore shows Google's ambitions in terms of virtual reality and its desire not to abandon the Cardboard.
How to use Google Cardboard virtual reality with iPhone?
All iPhones since iPhone 5 are compatible with the Google Cardboard VR platform and headsets. All you have to do is insert your smartphone into the slot in the headset provided for this purpose, in order to use the screen and the components of the smartphone to immerse yourself in virtual reality.
The Cardboard, for its part, is based solely on lenses allowing the iPhone screen to be perceived, on which the image is divided into two, in three dimensions with a depth effect. Most Cardboard apps use the iPhone's gyroscope and accelerometer to let the user view the virtual world at will. However, this platform is not very interactive, and most applications present themselves as minimalist games, 360-degree videos and other visual experiences.
To use the Google Cardboard headset, you don't need to download the official Cardboard iOS app from the App Store. Any VR application designed for the Cardboard using the SDK offered by Google can be launched independently. However, the official Cardboard application allows you to discover the world of mobile VR through a nice bouquet of virtual reality experiences.
Cardboard iOS: what are the best VR headsets for iPhone?
Google does not produce its Cardboard headset itself, but offers a simple and detailed diagram for assembling its own cardboard VR headset. In addition, many manufacturers offer their own more or less sophisticated version of the device.
The simplest, made of cardboard, are marketed for around 20 euros. There are also many plastic or foam helmets, some stronger or more comfortable than others. The Mattel View-Master VR is one of the most popular Cardboard VR headsets for the iPhone. This €30 headset is offered directly by Apple on its official website, proof of its quality.
Other options include the $15 GO4D C1-Glass, the $25 I AM Cardboard EVA Foam, or the $99 Merge VR Goggles and the $85 Know Aluminum VR Viewer for more expensive options. This latest model is only recommended for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s.
What are the best VR apps for Cardboard iOS on iPhone?
The Cardboard platform has been compatible with the iPhone for less time than with Android. This is the reason why there are fewer apps on Cardboard iOS. Among the most successful are the game Proton Pulse, the space shooter Vanguard V, the official Star Wars application, or the horror experience Sisters.
Most Cardboard iOS apps are free and relatively short. You can therefore freely explore the catalog of applications and download the ones that catch your eye to try them out and form your own opinion. Millions of people use the Cardboard platform every day. While waiting for the hypothetical presentation of an official Apple VR headset, this platform created by Google remains the best way to discover virtual reality for iPhone users.
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