Google is looking to improve the immersiveness of VR experiences through Cardboard apps by enabling spatial audio.
The company will ensure the feature – which makes it appear as if sound is coming from different directions – is now built into an updated Cardboard SDK for developers.
Whereas Oculus has made spatial audio a key new feature in more recent iterations of the Rift hardware, Cardboard now users will have access to the the tech through their own headphones.
While the Cardboard headset has enabled incredible visible experiences on a budget, Google is now focused on replicating audio experiences in “the same way humans actually hear” them.
On the Google Developers blog, Google Cardboard’s Nathan Martz explains how the SDK “combines the physiology of a listener’s head with the positions of virtual sound sources to determine what users hear.
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Related: Street View is the best reason to buy a Cardboard
Users will still only need their regular headphones, smartphone and Cardboard headset in order to enjoy the new experiences.
The news follows a couple of newsworthy days for Google in VR.
Yesterday we brought word that the company is forming a new VR division, with the former head of Gmail and Drive, Clay Bavor, taking the reins.
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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.
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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.