Skip to main content

Google’s Daydream could be the Gear VR’s worst nightmare

google daydream gearvr nightmare gearvrheadsets
Image used with permission by copyright holder
At its I/O developer conference this week, Google announced its upgrade to the budget-friendly Google Cardboard program. That’s good news for Android users, who have looked on at the Samsung Gear VR owners with envy, and bad news for anyone who invested in that ecosystem.

That’s because Google’s Daydream standard looks just as technically robust as Oculus‘ effort, and Daydream will run on a broader range of devices, giving developers reason to develop for it instead of Oculus’ proprietary storefront.

The number 20

The most important number when it comes to building a VR experience is 20. Developers often talk about reaching less than 20 milliseconds from motion to photon, or the time it takes from you moving your head to the HMD’s screen updating. Any longer, and the human eye starts to notice a lag between movement in real life and on the screen, resulting in disassociation and dizziness.

Which is why all Daydream ready phones will use some high-end hardware and special software. That means low persistence AMOLED screens, single frame buffering instead of a back buffer, and display stabilization, where after a frame is rendered, it’s shifted to meet the headset’s new location.

Google-Daydream-VR-001
Image used with permission by copyright holder

These are all great features, and we know they work because they’re already found in one form or another on the Samsung Gear VR. Programming for the platform means rendering in the front buffer, and Oculus’ own Time Warp technology has much the same effect (and works the same way) as Google’s display stabilization. And Samsung’s phones fitted with low persistence AMOLED displays.

There are still some unknowns when it comes to Daydream. We’re not sure what kind of sensor will track the headset, or how many degrees of freedom it will track. The minimum display resolution is a mystery, as is the performance of the SoC that powers each device, if there isn’t more than one.

Your move, Oculus

The best move for Samsung and Oculus would be to adhere to the Daydream standard and create a new Gear VR with just that specification in mind. Samsung is clearly on board with the plan, judging by Google’s promise that the Korean manufacturer would be one of the first with a Daydream ready phone. Whether Oculus also wants to jump on board is less clear.

Google-Daydream-VR-9
Image used with permission by copyright holder

At this point, Oculus has already entrenched itself in its own ecosystem. It doesn’t seem likely that ecosystem stands a chance against Daydream, a platform that will offer far broader hardware support, as well as better integration with the Android operating system.

It’d be smart for Oculus to abandon its dreams of controlling both the software and hardware experience and instead focus on just the hardware. But we don’t think it’s likely, because Facebook — which owns Oculus — wants to have that control.

Editors' Recommendations

Brad Bourque
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Brad Bourque is a native Portlander, devout nerd, and craft beer enthusiast. He studied creative writing at Willamette…
Best OLED monitor deals: Get an OLED screen from just $450
Marvel's Spider-Man running on the Samsung Odyssey OLED G8.

Shopping some of the best monitor deals is a good way to save on some extra screen real estate, but if you’re looking for something that can produce a stunning image you should turn your shopping cart toward the OLED monitors. OLED is one of the best picture technologies currently available, and it can create a lifelike image that makes interacting with games, presentations, and creative work much more immersive. The best OLED monitors can run pretty expensive, but that’s what OLED monitor deals are for. If you’re looking for superior picture quality and some ways to save, read onward for more details on the best OLED monitor deals taking place right now.
ViewSonic 15.6-inch VX1655 4K OLED portable monitor — $450, was $500

Getting into the OLED game can be both affordable and portable with the ViewSonic VX1655. It’s a 4K OLED display that’s made to function as either a laptop extension or something to pair with a tablet. It comes in at a super sharp 4K resolution and a refresh rate of 60Hz. This isn’t something you’d want to pair with a gaming PC, but it’s a great little display to keep with you if you do creative work on the run or want some extra screen real estate while working on a tablet at your desk.

Read more
Best monitor deals: Gaming, office, curved, OLED and more
Dell UltraSharp 27 4K PremierColor Monitor

Whether you prefer to work at one of the best desktop computers, the best laptops, or anything in between, an external monitor can be helpful to add some extra screen real estate. One of the best monitors can even go a long way toward reducing eye strain and creating an immersive digital or gaming experience. While high end monitors can get quite expensive, there are always some impressive monitor deals to shop, and we’ve tracked them all down. Reading onward you’ll find what we feel are the best monitor deals, whether you’re shopping for 4K monitors, gaming monitors, ultrawide monitors, or more general monitors meant for all-purpose users.
Best monitor deals

The following deals represent a best-of of the deals below. They're selected to give a mixture of prices, styles, and levels of discount. If you don't see something you like, don't worry, as the following sections will have plenty more deals for you to choose from. However, this is a highly recommended place to start:

Read more
7 best Chromebooks for 2024: the best for every budget
Close up of the Chrome logo on the top of a Chromebook.

Chromebooks might have a hard time competing with Windows laptops and MacBooks, but that doesn't mean they don't have their place. We've reviewed hundreds of laptops over the years, testing for important qualities like performance, battery life, and display quality — and we've found that Chromebooks consistently excel at performance and reliability.

You can find Chromebooks from Google, HP, Lenovo, Acer, and many others, and we've dug through them to put together this roundup of the best Chromebooks on the market. They're incredibly accessible devices, and for the right person, a Chromebook can be the best laptop in terms of value.

Read more