Virtual reality is easily one of the biggest and most talked about entities in the mobile and gaming spheres at the moment. While this does seem the be a product of now, it is one which has been building slowly over the last couple of years. One of the real breakthrough products for virtual reality came through in 2014 when Google introduced their cost-friendly Cardboard. A virtual reality headset which was made of cardboard and could be paired with most Android smartphones.
This was a product which was unveiled by Google during their annual I/O conference and immediately caught the attention of the attendees and the wider tech community. Not to mention a product which has gone on to become even more advanced and been accredited with some remarkable achievements. However, details are now starting to come through that the launch of Cardboard was planned to be a much more low-key affair. A detailed report on Google CEO Sundar Pichai from BuzzFeed touches on the launch and how Cardboard came to be. According to the details, about two months before I/O was due to take place, the Google’s Virtual Reality VP, Clay Bavor, was called into Pichai’s office to talk about Cardboard. Pichai was so impressed apparently, that he made the decision to unveil Cardboard at that year’s conference. Giving the team about eight weeks to finalize the product and software before the announcement.
The report goes on to detail that the original plan was to give Cardboard away as a freebie in the goodie bag that all attendees receive when coming to I/O. A plan which remained in place until the night before the announcement was due to take place. At which point Pichai became concerned that those receiving Cardboard in such a way might not understand the importance of the product of what it was for. As a result and after all the goodie bags had been packed, Pichai decided to announce Cardboard on stage as part of the event. An announcement which the report explains saw Pichai introduce Cardboard before he had seen the final product or tested the software. A sentiment which highlights the trust Pichai has in Bavor and the team in general. Those interested in reading the report in more detail, can do so by heading through the source link below.