Google Cardboard Apps to Explore Basic Virtual Reality

By Don Reisinger

Mercedes VR is arguably one of the neatest apps in this roundup, allowing users to see virtual-reality videos the carmaker has released in the past year. The free app lets users get into different Mercedes cars and even go for a fast ride around a test track. This app is a natural for anyone who wants to try out a Mercedes without going to a dealer or paying luxury sports car prices for the privilege.

Seene lets smartphone users snap a photo and then add depth and movement to create a virtual 3D image. Then they can share those images with the Seene community to view them as virtual-reality images with Cardboard. It’s a neat (and free) app that adds a little social flavor. Image 2: Please use this image:

Looking to ride a roller coaster without gathering up the courage to actually get on one? Roller Coaster VR might just be for you. The app puts users into the front seat of roller coasters to experience the full roller-coaster effect from their smartphones. One note on this app, however: While it works with Cardboard, third-party VR glasses from Fibrum are required to get the full experience.

Chair In A Room has quickly become one of the most popular Cardboard apps. The program puts people in a chair and forces them to look around a room to uncover the mysteries that are unfolding around them. A Chair In A Room is part experiment and part video game. It appeals to users looking to both try out Cardboard and play a mystery game. Like the other apps in this roundup, it’s available for free.

Thrill-seekers will find a lot to like in The North Face: Climb. The user simply puts on the Cardboard and turns on the app and is immersed in a 360-degree 3D VR film, showing some of the most harrowing mountain climbs in the world. The free app offers fascinating insight into what it takes to be a mountain climber—and the beauty that goes with it.

Anyone who’s interested in being up close and personal with Sir Paul McCartney will want to download the Google Cardboard Paul McCartney app. The program gives users a 360-degree view of McCartney and a crowd as he performs “Live and Let Die.” It’s just one performance, but it’s something users will watch often. Best of all, it’s free.

War of Words VR is arguably the most innovative Cardboard app in this roundup. The free app uses virtual reality to go back to 1916, when Siegfried Sassoon wrote his controversial poem “The Kiss.” The poem was written before the First World War’s Battle of the Somme, and depicts a graphic view of the horrors of war. As the poem is displayed on-screen, Cardboard users move their heads around to experience its words. It’s a fascinating mix of war—and words.

Anyone who has a fascination with space will want to try out the free Titans of Space for Cardboard. The app lets users explore planets and other celestial bodies in our solar system and learn about each. The app has some much-needed attention to detail, ensuring that all sizes of planets are to scale. It’s a neat app for anyone who wants to go to space in full virtual reality.

Vanguard V has received rave reviews among gamers. The free app is a third-party shooter that the company said, provides fast speeds as users move from the low orbit of Earth to its core and shoot targets along the way. The Vanguard V shows what can be accomplished in Cardboard and delivers a fast-paced, fun shooting experience.

Google, of course, has its own Cardboard app that provides free access to a range of content, including Google Earth, tour guides to Versailles, and even the user’s videos. Users can also immerse themselves in an animated world known as Windy Day. Google Cardboard is a must-have for anyone just getting his or her feet wet with the platform.