After months of waiting for Google's virtual reality headset, we finally got a taste and the result wasn't what we expected.
Called Daydream View, the device looks almost exactly like the design the company showed off back in May at the I/O conference. Except there's one major difference: The entire device is wrapped in soft fabric.
Wrapped in a material that resembles gray sweatpants, the View seems to be designed around the idea of making VR headsets much more comfortable. In name only, though. In practice, the VR headset is less like a smartwatch or wrist tracker and more like an accessory that needs to be both ergonomically well-designed and durable for extended use – like, say, a computer mouse. In light of this, adding fabric to a VR headset is ultimately an impractical design choice.
A Google team member claims that the fabric is designed in a way that stains won't show up easily. However, if you don't have the ability to remove the fabric, stains (sweat, food, etc.) during extended use of the device seem inevitable.
To its credit, Google has given the device a large, removable, hand-washable face cushion. Another great design choice was the elastic band on its visor that holds the smartphone in place. Because it's elastic, the size of each compatible smartphone can vary widely. But overall, the Daydream View doesn't feel like an aggressive move into the future of VR. That's odd, given that on the software side, Google has delivered cutting-edge experiences like Tilt Brush and Google Arts & Culture, which take you to museums and historical sites around the world in VR.
However, as things stand, after years of wanting something more substantial from Google than Cardboard VR, the Daydream View is a disappointment.
