#Gear vr lookthrough camera series#
#Gear vr lookthrough camera download#

In the wildlife pack, for example, you'll stand in a computer-generated savannah and click to pull up facts about lions or a video clip of a cheetah. The apps themselves are a combination of 360-degree photos, rendered models, and flat images projected into the environment.

#Gear vr lookthrough camera download#

There doesn't seem to be much to the reels besides that, and it's totally possible to download and use the app without them, but you don't save any money - it's $14.99 with or without the physical disks. If you set them flat on the table, launch the related smartphone app, and look through the View-Master, they act as augmented reality markers, bringing up little images that will launch different sections of the experience. The reels are designed to look like the little paper disks that older View-Masters used, but they're basically a convoluted menu screen. By default, the View-Master comes with a single reel of demo content, with three more sets (based around space, world travel, and wildlife) available now and more coming in the future.

#Gear vr lookthrough camera series#

Which is good, because the actual View-Master-y parts of it - a series of plastic 'reels' of images from exotic locations - are an expensive gimmick. The View-Master, by contrast, should work with anything that was made on the Cardboard standard. There are plenty of plastic VR phone holders, but some don't include any control system, even the simple single button that Google Cardboard has. The headset holds up, the View-Master gimmick doesn't Instead, sound gets piped out through tiny speaker grills at the bottom of the headset. The same rationale seems to be behind a more frustrating choice: You can't use the View-Master with headphones, or adjust the volume without opening it up. In Mattel's case, it's also a way to reassure parents that their kids won't plug in and suddenly turn into virtual reality zombies. Sometimes, this is meant as a way to decrease motion sickness by limiting time in the headset. Speaking of straps, the most notable feature of Cardboard-compliant headsets is that you have to hold them up to your face like a pair of binoculars, instead of strapping them on. And there's a handy wrist strap that can stop a kid from dropping it. Like many mobile headset cases, the View-Master can fit any smartphone up to 6 inches, using a firm, adjustable plastic clip. Compared to cardboard and foam, which can collect sweat and grease, they also seem easy to clean. The hard rubber eyepieces obviously aren't the most ergonomic design, but they're comfortable for the short bursts of use that Mattel imagines. The branding is fairly subtle, just a white 'M' on the front visor. It's got the thick red plastic of a vintage View-Master on the sides, and instead of the normal Cardboard lever that simulates tapping the screen, there's a chunky orange clicker. The Mattel View-Master hardware is every inch 'Google Cardboard for kids,' in the best possible way.

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