Earlier this year at its I/O conference, Google announced its next-level virtual reality platform for Android, called “Daydream.” The company’s VR developer tools are now out of beta, which means developers can already begin building Daydream-ready applications for Android.
The new Google VR SDK 1.0 makes certain VR development tasks easier, so the developers can focus on building the main features of their VR applications and games. The SDK also supports integrated asynchronous reprojection, high fidelity spatialized audio, and interactions using the Daydream controller.
Google said that it has partnered with Unity and Unreal, two of the most popular third-party gaming engines, so developers can use the game-building tools they already know well. The company has updated its VR development site as well, where developers can read all the documentation for the Daydream platform, and see sample applications and tutorials.
Native Unity Integration
The Daydream platform is now fully supported by Unity, which means developers can take advantage of all of Unity’s VR rendering optimizations. Unity will also support features such as head tracking, deep linking, and easy Android manifest configuration.
Google said that many Daydream launch applications are already taking advantage of this integration with Unity. Developers can download the Unity binary along with the Daydream plugin to get started.
Native UE4 Integration
The latest version of Unreal Engine 4 introduces Daydream controller support in the editor, a neck model, and new rendering optimizations, among other features. The UE4 source code with Daydream support will also be available to download for developers.
Daydream Devices Coming Soon
Google said that the first Daydream phones and and VR headsets are coming this fall. If you’re a developer interested in the platform, you can now get started building games and apps for it using the new SDK and the DIY developer kit.
The company also said that it’s opening the Daydream Access Program (DAP), where developers can submit application proposals. If certain apps get inside the program, then Google will work more closely with those developers to help them build better apps.
