Daydream is Google’s big new push into virtual reality.
Unlike the bulky, several-hundred-dollar pieces of kit from Oculus or HTC, all you need is a relatively cheap headset, the accompanying motion-sensitive remote, and a modern, “Daydream-ready” smartphone capable of running the apps for it.
At a fraction of the price, it is never going to be as sophisticated as its high-end rivals. But on the flipside, it’s far more accessible.
Google is betting that most people have still never tried virtual reality before — and want to dip their toe in the water with something cheap and cheerful.
But once you’ve got one, there’s the burning question: What do you actually do with it? The platform is still in its infancy, but we’ve rounded up a selection of some of the most interesting-looking and coolest Daydream VR apps available today. Keep scrolling down to check them out.
1. ‘Keep Talking & Nobody Explodes’
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“Keep Talking & Nobody Explodes,” already available on other virtual reality platforms, is fast becoming a multiplayer VR classic.
The aim of the game is bomb defusing: One player, wearing the headset, can see the bomb but has no idea what to do to it; the other players, without headsets or sight of the bomb, have instructions on defusing it — as long as they can interpret them correctly. Frantic chaos typically ensues.
However, it’s not cheap by app standards — it’s listed on the UK Google Play app store for £9.99, or $9.99 in the US.
2. Google Street View
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Google Earth
Street View is one of Google’s all-time greatest inventions: An interactive 360-degree photographic map of countless millions of miles of roads across the globe.
It was available for Cardboard, Google’s previous DIY virtual reality headset — so it makes sense that it would be available for Daydream as well.
3. Netflix
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Watching videos in virtual reality has always struck me as slightly strange — why not just watch them on a regular screen? But Google insists tha the VR movie-watching experience can be super-immersive, freeing the viewer from any distractions and giving them their own personal cinema.
If that sounds like your jam, you’re in luck: Netflix has an app for Daydream that lets you watch its catalogue of movies and television programs in virtual reality surroundings.
4. ‘PolyRunner VR’
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“PolyRunner” is an arcade-style VR game — pilot your spaceship through alien worlds. Crash and you die. Dead simple.
5. ‘Danger Goat’
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“One runaway goat. 100s of dastardly traps in his way. Can you help him escape?” asks the Google Play description of “Danger Goat.” It costs £4.99, and is exclusive to Daydream, with 28 levels to play.
6. The Guardian VR
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The Guardian has an app which it uses to show-case custom-made VR experiences including a first-person look at what it’s like to be locked up in solitary confinement, or go on a journey through the Victorian sewer system of London.
7. LEGO Brickheadz Builder VR
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It’s LEGO, it’s virtual reality, what’s not to like? The app lets you follow instructions to build models using Daydream, and it’s free.
8. Google Arts & Culture VR
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Google Arts & Culture is a curious product from the Californian search giant: It’s basically a museum for your phone, showcasing classic art and culture (no surprises there!). With Daydream, that experience is brought into virtual reality, letting you meander around a virtual gallery space.
9. YouTube VR
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YouTube’s Daydream app is similar to Netflix’s: Immersive video-watching in virtual reality, with voice controls to help you navigate.
10. ‘INVASION!’
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“INVASION!” is an animated, family-friendly film that all takes place in full VR. It’s narrated by Ethan Hawke, and directed by Eric Darnell, who previously directed Madagascar.
11. Star Chart VR
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Virtual reality’s allure is that it lets you explore other worlds, and that’s something Star Chart VR takes seriously. It’s a space simulator that lets you explore our solar system, and go star gazing at constellations in the night sky.
12. ‘VR Karts: Sprint’
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“VR Karts: Sprint” is basically a Mario Kart clone — not that there’s anything wrong with that. You can race the computer, or other players online, and it has all the usual power-ups and weapons.
13. ‘Mekorama VR’
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This VR puzzler has you help a little robot navigate its way through block-y, Minecraft-esque worlds. It comes with 50 levels built in — but you can also build your own new ones, and share them online. It costs £3.79.
14. ‘Wonderglade’
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“Wonderglade” is a polished set of mini-games for Daydream, including mini-golf, tilt-racing, and “Magic Mayhem.”
15. ‘Need for Speed No Limits VR’
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“Need for Speed No Limits VR” brings the famous video game racing series to Daydream. For £10.99 ($14.99), you get a high-octane racing game with 30 cars and 12 tracks.
16. ‘The Turning Forest’
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“The Turning Forest,” created by the BBC, is billed as an “interactive fairytale for all ages.” It’s a free VR film, and has been highly reviewed on the Google Play store.
Source: Business Insider UK