Google Ceo Sundar Pichai announced at a recent event that there would be more smartphones to support Google Daydream before the end of 2017. If that is true, finally, there will be more devices to choose from than just a limited number available to date.

Early VR experience

Google’s Daydream is a virtual reality platform developed for Android Nougat and above. The platform was launched last May 2016 during Google I/O event. The purpose of the platform was to give the virtual reality technology to a smartphone in a most efficient way.

Earlier, when Google cardboard launched, the virtual reality applications and games were causing ill feelings.

Users suffer from nausea, dizziness, and even vertigo when exposed in a longer period. That makes the virtual reality experience neither viable for everyday use nor advisable for more than 30-minutes of exposure.

The other obstacle points to current smartphones at the time were not made VR-ready. Although those handsets have the particular sensors installed in them, they still cannot perform the way VR devices are supposed to. A lot of cases of device overheating, app crashing in mid use, and distorted images when using smartphones for VR happened.

The more severe problems reported were instances of people experiencing neurological after-effects like seeing things that weren’t there. But those minor cases have not proven closely related with the virtual reality technology.

The Google Daydream

So to fix these problems relating the VR experience, Google decided to develop a platform to fix these earlier issues. The answer is Google Daydream. Daydream is not exactly for all Android devices even if Android Nougat powers them. Recommended hardware specifications are required for this platform to function within the Android environment.

In short, Google Daydream will only work for specific devices. And considering the power it needs to perform, we are currently looking at mostly flagship devices for this to work. Sadly, there are not many smartphones to have this kind of compatibility over Daydream.

Google Daydream supported handsets

Google Daydream devices are Google Pixel, Moto Z, Axon 7, ZenFone AR, and Mate 9 Pro.

As you can see, that’s just five smartphones in the market that got Daydream-ready. And those are pretty pricey handsets.

With Pichai’s announcement, perhaps, we should be expecting less expensive devices. Too stretched of wishful thinking? But then again, Pichai did not “exactly” identified if the smartphones that he was talking about are the ones that are to be released yet or the ones that are currently in the market. In fact, Samsung has announced that the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus will support Google Daydream later this year. So heads up for flagship phones that have the hardware requirement but do not yet run Google Daydream.

But surely, the upcoming Google Pixel 2 will support the Google Daydream.

Let’s just hope that Google will someday make the Daydream platform available for the less expensive devices. Or perhaps, the phone manufacturers will release cheaper phones that can support Google Daydream.
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