Google’s new Daydream View is official and it has a heat sink, ushering in a new era of Android-based virtual reality content and further extending the viable nature of the Daydream platform. A leak for the headset popped up not too long ago, showcasing a brand new set of colors and a slightly altered design. A new headset was also almost expected at some point. Now that things are official Google is going to be offering the new headset through its own online store and other retailers when it launches, with pre-orders available starting today.
The new Daydream View will cost a bit more than the original, launching with a price tag of $99, but it also comes with a new build that looks and feels slightly more polished. Google is still using a cloth-like material for the outside build of the headset, but it looks a little nicer than the older model and it comes with a somewhat textured feel to which is nice as well, which is the two-toned fabric that Google says is both “soft and light,” meaning it’ll be pleasing to the touch and comfortable, and since it’s light enough to keep users from feeling weighted down, it should stay comfortable for longer sessions. As mentioned above it also come in three new colors, which are Charcoal, Fog, and Coral, and each comes with a matching controller as was probably expected since Google did the same thing last year with the original.
One of the main changes that Google made to this new headset is the lenses, which Google notes are now high-performance and provide the user with better clarity and a wider field of view, though the style and design is mostly the same so users of the original model will be familiar. The new lenses are also joined by a slightly thicker padding that allows for less light leak, which should help to make things an overall more immersive experience. In addition to the new wider field of view and high-performance lenses, Google has also improved the flap where you situate your phone when placing it in the headset, making it more grippy so the phone stays in place better, and it added magnesium heat pipes inside this flap to act as a heat sink that Google boasts will help the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL run apps without heat issues, which was a common problem with the original Pixel phones and the first Daydream View headset that were launched last year, often getting hot after using it for a certain amount of time.
Improvements don’t stop there as Google also added a new top strap to the head band for the headset so it fits more securely on the wearer’s head, and the controller storage has now been relocated to the straps on the back of the headset with the elastic band that holds it in place. The new Daydream View isn’t available for purchase yet but it will be launching later this year. Google will be selling the new Daydream View through the Google Store in the U.S., the UK, Germany, Australia, Italy, France, Spain, Japan, and Korea. It will also be available in India through Flipkart.