Cardboard for Android

Quick overview

Google Cardboard is a lightweight introduction to virtual reality from Google. The app lets you experience basic VR demos on your smartphone — everything from immersive panoramas to a simulated big-screen movie experience. It’s intended as an easy, low-cost way to try VR concepts without expensive hardware.

Experience highlights

• Watch ordinary YouTube videos on a simulated huge screen for a cinema-like VR feel.
• Fly around the planet with Google Earth and view cities, landscapes, and landmarks from above.
• Take a virtual drive through Paris using Street View for a street-level tour of the city.
• Inspect 360° photo spheres to look around captured scenes as if you were standing there.

Build it or buy it

• Purchase a ready-made viewer online (sites like eBay or other retailers sell assembled Cardboard-compatible headsets).
• Make your own viewer from basic parts: corrugated cardboard, a pair of lenses, simple magnets or a button, and fasteners — then slot your phone in and launch the app.
• Note: the DIY route is fun and inexpensive but requires a bit of assembly and alignment to get the best experience.

Alternatives and picks

• Google Cardboard — Free and an entry-level choice for exploring VR on a smartphone.
• PLAYA VR — A recommended alternative app if you want different VR content or features beyond the Cardboard demos.