Google has partnered with toymaker Mattel to launch a new virtual reality headset based on ye olde View-Master.
The View-Master was, of course, a toy for children of yore (we’re talking 1939, here) that offered a pseudo-3D experience through a headset that displayed stereoscopic images contained on faux ‘reels’.
Everyone’s favourite search engine giant has decided to drag the View-Master into the 21st century however, by giving it a virtual reality facelift.
Based on the same concept as Google’s Cardboard headset, the new View-Master will offer basic VR on a relatively inexpensive headset.
You’ll be able to access the usual raft of Cardboard-friendly software from your smartphone’s app store, which means that your handset will be acting as the device’s display – tech-free kiddies need not apply.
Google and Mattel will also be flogging their modern take on the old-style View-Master inserts, with the new reels instead offering 360-degree photospheres.
For $14.99 (£9.73), parents will be able to buy their children a set of four reels, each of which will carry themed 360-degree content.
The San Francisco reel, for instance, will let children dart between various fixed viewpoints around San Fran, albeit in full 360-degree VR vision.
Other reels mentioned include Paris, and the solar system. We’re sensing an education angle here…
Related: Best Google Cardboard Apps 2015
The View-Master 2.0 will be available for $29.99 (£19.47) – sans the smartphone, please note – with a sample reel included in the box. It launches in autumn this year.
Google and Mattel have released a video showing off the new View-Master. Check it out:
(YouTube)JlhFBU2I7vU(/YouTube)
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
