Daydream Home Lets You Preview VR Content In 360-Degrees

By Kevin Carbotte
published

Google announced the Daydream VR platform yesterday during the opening keynote presentation for Google I/O 2016. Today, the company showed more details about Daydream Home, the platform's content discovery and delivery system, that show that the company is taking the VR experience seriously.

Daydream Home will be the main launch point for Daydream VR. Google said it wanted to make Daydream Home into a place you want to spend time in. Here you’ll find your library of content, the settings menu and the VR Google Play store. Daydream Home will let you navigate all of your content without ever taking the HMD off.

The main Daydream Home screen features three large floating panes. Google calls these “Discovery Windows” and plans to use this space to promote curated content from the Play Store. The most interesting thing about the discovery windows is that they are immersive. Google said you can “peer into the world and get a real sense of 3D” if you lean in to see the preview closer.

Google gave the whole Play Store an overhaul to better take advantage of VR’s unique abilities. If you click on a store item for more details, you’ll find yourself immersed inside 360-degree screenshots of the experience or game. Google has also followed Oculus’s lead and will provide a “motion intensity rating” for every VR app, which sounds exactly the same as Oculus’s comfort rating.

Navigating through the VR version of the Play Store is done with the Daydream controller. You’ll simply swipe through pages and use the device as a pointer to select content.

Though Google wants you to spend as much time as possible in VR, the company will still allow you to purchase and discover content the traditional way. The Daydream mobile app will let you queue up VR videos to view later or purchase and download apps and games even if you don’t have the HMD with you.

Google has not yet revealed the exact release date for Daydream, but the company said it will launch this fall and will be supported by many vendors.

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Kevin Carbotte

 Kevin Carbotte is a contributing writer for Tom's Hardware who primarily covers VR and AR hardware. He has been writing for us for more than four years. 

10 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Jeff Fx
    Thanks for all the VR coverage. I'm now spending a lot more time at Tom's Hardware than I have in years.
    Reply
  • kcarbotte
    17991412 said:
    Thanks for all the VR coverage. I'm now spending a lot more time at Tom's Hardware than I have in years.

    Thank you for reading it!
    We've been making an effort to be one of the premier sources of VR information on the internet. I'm glad you're enjoying it.
    Reply
  • leaded gas only
    Why really do anything when you can virtually do everything.

    Reply
  • xkm1948
    Tomshardware was the site that got me into trying Google cardboard. And now here I am playing in HTC Vive almost daily. VR is truly something you have to try to love it.
    Reply
  • everygamer
    Since everyone is saying nice things about Tom's Hardware, I'll add by saying I've been using your site since 2001 (15 years), thanks for all the hard work.

    As to Daydream VR, hope the Gear VR supports it, would be nice to use existing hardware with the new platform.
    Reply
  • Ian Feldmann
    Lol, the controllers are all pretty much just advanced Wiimotes
    Reply
  • kcarbotte
    17994036 said:
    Lol, the controllers are all pretty much just advanced Wiimotes

    I fail to understand how that's remotely funny.
    Wiimotes were incredibly advanced for thier time, and these are indeed an evolution of that concept.

    There's not better solution than a wand controller for 6 degrees of freedom right now though. What they offer is nothing short of incredible.
    Reply
  • bit_user
    17998489 said:
    There's not better solution than a wand controller for 6 degrees of freedom right now though. What they offer is nothing short of incredible.
    For some things, hand tracking is much better. That will become standard, but not for a while. Therefore, Daydream VR really can't depend on it.

    However, if the experience involves holding a tool or a weapon, I'd rather have a controller than my bare hands.

    I agree with Kevin: the controllers are a non-issue, for most purposes.
    Reply
  • scolaner
    17994036 said:
    Lol, the controllers are all pretty much just advanced Wiimotes

    I fail to understand how that's remotely funny.
    Wiimotes were incredibly advanced for thier time, and these are indeed an evolution of that concept.

    There's not better solution than a wand controller for 6 degrees of freedom right now though. What they offer is nothing short of incredible.

    I'm a little skeptical of these remotes, myself. I mean, great, I'm glad they developed them, but I'm not getting excited about them just yet.
    Reply
  • scolaner
    Since everyone is saying nice things about Tom's Hardware, I'll add by saying I've been using your site since 2001 (15 years), thanks for all the hard work.

    As to Daydream VR, hope the Gear VR supports it, would be nice to use existing hardware with the new platform.

    Thanks for the kind words, folks. We work extremely hard to bring you the best coverage we can! It's good to hear that some people are digging it. ;)
    Reply