Google Officially Unveils Daydream View Headset for Mobile Virtual Reality

Janko Roettgers

Google officially announced its first Daydream virtual reality (VR) headset in conjunction with its newly-launched Pixel phones at a press event in San Francisco Tuesday.

The device is being called “Daydream View,” and will work with select Android phones, including the company’s new Pixel phones, which the company introduced at the event as well. Google’s Daydream View headset will ship in November for $79.

Variety first broke the news of Daydream’s pricing earlier this week.

Daydream View is essentially a mobile VR viewer; users have to insert their phone to switch from regular Android to a new VR mode. They can then use the headset in conjunction with an external handheld controller to play VR games or use VR experiences.

One of the first experiences for Daydream will be a “Fantastic Beasts” VR experience built with in conjunction with Warner Bros. Other apps available for Daydream at launch include Netflix, HBO and Hulu as well as the New York Times VR app. More than 50 partners will have Daydream apps available before the end of the year. In addition, Google also built VR version of some of its own apps, including YouTube, Google Photos and Street View.

Pixel is the company’s attempt to build a flagship phone that sets the tone for modern Android devices. Part of this is an integration of VR, thanks to the latest version of Android and hardware optimization for VR experiences. “Pixel is made for mobile virtual reality,” said Google’s new hardware boss Rick Osterloh.

Google first announced Daydream at its Google I/O developer conference in May. Back then, the company announced that it was going to partner with a number of phone makers, including HTC, Samsung, Huawei and Xiaomi. These companies will manufacture Daydream-ready phones, and some of them may also build their own headsets.

Daydream isn’t Google’s first foray into virtual reality. The company released a cheap VR viewer called Google Cardboard in 2014, and has shipped millions of cardboard viewers in cooperation with partners like the New York Times.

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