The best things about the Daydream View, Google's $79 mobile-driven virtual reality headset that comes out today, are what it isn't: Complicated. Heavy. Expensive. Finicky. Most importantly of all, though, it's not Cardboard. Google knows for Daydream to take off, the VR platform has to be as simple as as the assemble-it-yourself cheapo phone holster that's brought so many people into immersive virtual worlds for the first time—just better. Much better.
Much like the Google Pixel phone that powers it, the View is almost entirely featureless. Very unlike the Pixel, though—and unlike every other VR headset out there—the View manages to look and feel cozy. The eyebox is an uninterrupted swatch of soft heathered material. When you slip it over your head, a single wide fabric strap keeps everything secure, and a padded liner lets the headset rest snugly on your face without leaving pressure marks. The liner can even be removed and hand-washed—which, seriously, you may want to consider doing every now and then. Your T-zone will thank you.
Flip down the faceplate, place your Pixel on the four contact points, and the View should recognize it immediately via NFC and prompt you to close the lid. "Should" being the operative word. If I'd recently restarted the phone, all happened as expected, but many times I needed to explicitly launch a VR app just to receive the prompt to place my Pixel in the View—and sometimes I got no prompt at all, leading to a frustrating game of Home Screen Bingo to see what would trigger the launch sequence.
Once things start running, though, and the View is on your head, it (with a little help from you) pairs with the headset's not-so-secret weapon: the companion controller. As my colleague David has already pointed out, the small pillbox-shaped device functions like a cross between the Apple TV's remote and a Wiimote, though VR fans will find the Oculus Rift's remote the handiest comparison. Yet, it's an improvement on all of those, as well as handily eclipsing the touchpad-on-the-side-of-the-headset input scheme of the Samsung Gear VR, the View's nearest competitor. It's your all-in-one Daydream input device, taking various forms depending on what you're doing. Because it's motion-tracked, it act as a laser pointer, an aiming reticle, a flashlight, a wand, or just about anything you need it to be. Its buttons bring up in-game options or kick you back to an app-selection screen; a round area near the top for your thumb can function as a joystick, a rotary selector, or a swipe-able touchpad. It's versatile, powerful, and while the pairing dropped a handful times during my testing, it enhances everything you do in Daydream.
The first place you'll use it is in Daydream's pastoral home environment, a forest clearing with a waterfall to your right and a stream flowing nearby. In front of you hovers the same tiled selection of apps that has emerged as VR's default UI. (Passing your controller's selector over the icons in Daydream, though, triggers a nifty 3D animation.) Our review unit included a small selection of titles, from Google's own products like Street View and YouTube VR to third-party games and experiences: astronomy exploration tool Star Chart is a standout, as is cute if inconsequential puzzle game Mekorama.