The Daydream View virtual reality headset by Google hit the stores late last year with a $79 price tag. A few months later, the VR toy can be had for only $49.
Google has decided to slash $30 off the VR headset's original price making the Daydream View a - pardon the pun - reachable dream. That's around 38 percent off which is a good deal especially if one would consider that the currently controversial Oculus Rift costs $599 while the HTC Vive will set the buyer back $800. Google made it even an easier decision to get the Daydream View VR headset by offering free shipping.
At $49, the Daydream View is a lot cheaper than the high-end VR headsets but is a few dollars more expensive than the cardboard VR headsets of Dodocase, Knox Labs, and even Google. As The Verge notes, these cheap VR headsets usually cost around $20 to $30. The Google Cardboard, however, can be had for only $15.
Mid-range VR headsets like the Samsung Gear VR, LG 360 VR and Zeiss VR One range from $75 to $125 per unit. With the price drop, the Daydream View is now somewhere between the cheap and mid-range VR headsets but that only concerns the price. The Daydream View is notches above the cardboard VR headsets and at par with the mid range headsets. Its $49 price tag will now separate it from the rest of the pack.
The Daydream View is one of the easiest VR headsets to handle. There is no need for manual calibrations and adjustments as the headset pairs automatically with a Daydream-ready Android 7.0 smartphone. Hot Hardware enumerates the phones that can readily be used with the Daydream View and the list includes Google Pixel and Pixel XL, Asus Zenfone AR, Huawei Mate 9, Moto Z, Moto Z-Droid and Moto Z Force.
The Daydream View is used by simply opening the hatch located at the front and then placing the smartphone on the door of the headset which should be already turned on at this point. After closing the hatch and adjusting the straps to fit comfortably on the head, just hold the calibration button on the controller down for a while before playing.
