Google’s VR Daydream is Coming

At Google I/O developer conference, Google’s head of VR Clay Bavor announced that the latest version of Android will be getting a VR mode. Google calls this step “Daydream”.

This step mainly concerns future VR ready smartphones. Google states that these devices will have to be ‘Daydream Ready’, which means displays as responsive and latency-free as possible, and optimising Android N to help apps run faster. Big companies like, Huawei, HTC and, Samsung are said to be already developing smartphones for Daydream.

There’s also a new controller described as “super flexible”.  Daydream controller will feature some of buttons and motion input. No release dates or price details are given.

Daydream Home will feature the store for software. Users will find there games from developers like Climax Studios and Resolution Games, as well as Google’s own new content, including Google Play Movies. YouTube has also been recreated for this specific purpose.

What is more, Epic Games announced that Unreal Engine 4 supports Daydream!

One way we help VR developers is through releasing internal projects like Couch Knights, Showdown and the VR Editor for free.

We also continue to optimize and show our Bullet Train demo, which is known for its polished execution of motion control gameplay.

Natural input that is made for VR is hugely important in making you believe you really have been transported to another place, and nothing beats the immersive qualities of incorporating motion controls into a VR experience.

Epic Games

Below you can find a small-scope dungeon RPG built for Daydream in a couple of weeks using Unreal Engine 4 Blueprint visual scripting and simple fantasy-themed assets.

Daydream integration is available now on GitHub (login required), and it’s coming to the binary tools in the full Unreal Engine 4.12 launch, which is on track for release on June 1, 2016.

At Epic our mission is to give developers the very best tools for building immersive and visually impressive experiences with great performance on every platform we support. We have been creating VR experiences for many years now that not only push visual fidelity but what’s possible in terms of input, interaction, characters and gameplay mechanics

Every project we work on extends the capabilities of Unreal Engine, and we pass these improvements to developers on a daily basis. Today we’re proud to be part of this new chapter in VR history.

Kim Libreri, Epic Games CTO 

Inventory UI and interaction in our Daydream dungeon VR project

Make sure to check Epic Games’ documentation, and visit the Google VR hub to learn how to set up a Daydream development kit.

Daydream is set to be released this Fall

Source: Epic Games