Google Cardboard

[2002 Maxima SE]

Anyone have one of these? I picked one up at a Hadoop conference I worked at recently (Google was our booth neighbor!). I'm not a huge fan of VR, I don't necessarily understand the practical applications other than "avoiding reality".

I tried it out and found a few aspects neat. With Google Cardboard you can download Google Cardboard Camera. There are a few 360 degree pictures (with background sounds) that are amazing. I joked with the wife about cleaning up our living room (we have two small tornadoes/sons) and then taking a picture. Giving me a relaxing view of the room when I get home. I totally get it now.

Just now I was watching my two kids watch their Saturday morning cartoons on a rainy Saturday. Perfect image to capture for a lifetime that a flat 2D image could not.

Thoughts?

 

[2002 Maxima SE]

Wrong forum. Move requested.

 

[AZjeff]

Don't bother if you're the least bit prone to motion sickness.

 

[raytseng]

You can say that about any many inventions-has no "practical" purpose, because obviously for the average person doesn't need anything new to lead a full life. The average person doesn't need a lot of things.

However, things aren't always for practical purposes. It can be just for recreation/entertainment which by definition of recreation is impractical. All these Recreation/Entertainment things like Sports/Music/Movies/TV/Video Games etc can be argued to have little practical purpose but are huge drivers in our culture.


On the flipside, there are a few true practical purposes for visualization but only for certain people who need that in their work. All the design type folks can use it to better see what something looks on the cheap rather than spending thousands on a more complex 3d setup. There was some news reports of doctors/surgeons who used specifically google cardboard to visualize a heart defect in preparation for surgery. It was a click-bait heartwarming fuzzy article about saving a child but it does represent a practical purpose.

 

[2002 Maxima SE]

Originally Posted By: raytseng
You can say that about any many inventions-has no "practical" purpose, because obviously for the average person doesn't need anything new to lead a full life. The average person doesn't need a lot of things.

However, things aren't always for practical purposes. It can be just for recreation/entertainment which by definition of recreation is impractical. All these Recreation/Entertainment things like Sports/Music/Movies/TV/Video Games etc can be argued to have little practical purpose but are huge drivers in our culture.


On the flipside, there are a few true practical purposes for visualization but only for certain people who need that in their work. All the design type folks can use it to better see what something looks on the cheap rather than spending thousands on a more complex 3d setup. There was some news reports of doctors/surgeons who used specifically google cardboard to visualize a heart defect in preparation for surgery. It was a click-bait heartwarming fuzzy article about saving a child but it does represent a practical purpose.



Thanks for that! Great reply!

 

[earlyre]

I actually bought a couple of them, played with them for a while, not much since.

You can find videos made for VR devices on YouTube, they can be interesting.

Found some 360 pictures and videos that Let my mom see some places she hadn't been in 50 years.

My main complaint about cardboard, is the lack of a head strap. It can get a bit shaky holding it to your face.