Why Google Cardboard is the future of virtual reality

"Experiencing virtual reality with cardboard glasses is a joke, right?" Maybe you will think this when you first see Google's cardboard glasses. But in fact, as of July this year, Google Cardboard Glasses has sold 1.1 million units, making it the most popular virtual reality device. At the same time, third-party manufacturers based on this standard have also launched similar models to support Google's virtual reality applications and have achieved impressive results. From a certain perspective, Google's cardboard glasses can represent the first wave of virtual reality.

Cardboard boom: cheap, easy to use, widely compatible

When Google brought cardboard glasses to the I/O developer conference, many people thought it was a half-finished project at the prototype stage, but its subsequent success was unexpected. Cardboard glasses are priced at only $20, low price, and compatible with many smartphones (including iPhone), allowing consumers to experience virtual reality, a new technology that has not yet emerged, at the lowest cost.

At the same time, due to the simple specifications and design of cardboard glasses, it has also attracted some start-ups, such as Knoxlabs, DODOcase, etc. They have optimized the design of cardboard glasses and launched models using high-end materials such as polycarbonate, silicone and even metal. The price is still very low and they have also won the market.

The key elements of the success of cardboard glasses are actually very simple: cheap and easy to use. Compared with Oculus Rift and Sony PS VR, which require huge financial investment, the cost of cardboard glasses is almost negligible; and compared with Samsung Gear VR, which is also based on mobile phones, cardboard glasses are not only cheaper, but also compatible with more mobile phones. Most importantly, virtual reality technology is still in its early stages of development, and users cannot ensure that they can adapt to this new technology. Cardboard glasses provide a very low entry threshold.

The future remains bright

Although virtual reality devices from Oculus, Sony, and HTC will be launched next year, they will not affect the market for cardboard glasses. The reason is that the former are core-oriented devices, and users need a powerful PC or PS4 game console to drive them, and they need to experience them in a fixed room. Cardboard glasses are not only cheap, but also more flexible in use. Most importantly, casual VR will be a truly huge market.

Industry insiders said that the leisure VR market has unlimited prospects and complements the core equipment. In fact, Oculus, Sony and other companies should publicly support cardboard glasses and encourage users to use them for their first experience and trial, which will also be helpful for promoting high-end virtual reality products.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.