Google Daydream vs Gear VR - Virtual Reality hotspot

Google Daydream has been a project on which Google has been working ever since it had a success launch of the Google Cardboard VR headset. This new entry VR headset released on 10 November 2016 and it has been compared to the existing top quality VR headset which is the Gear VR ever since it was launched.

Now, the Gear VR has been in the markets for a while now and it might be a little difficult to replace this existing best smartphone VR headset. In this post, you would see some detailed comparison between the two best VR headsets for smartphones and realize if the Daydream VR headset is worth the money or not!

Design and Comfort

The Daydream VR is made up of a fabric material and is lighter compared to the Gear VR. However, the Gear VR has a three-way strap which holds it securely to your face unlike the two-way strap in the Daydream VR which results in adjusting the headset every now and then because it keeps slipping down.

The Gear VR has a more premium look and it is blue and black in color. It has a touchpad and control buttons on the side of the VR headset which can be used for navigation when you have your headset on. The Daydream, on the other hand, comes with a remote which makes the navigation relatively easier as compared to the Gear VR which might cause some pain in your arms.

Difference in Features

1. The Daydream VR is lighter than the Gear VR, however, you can’t walk around wearing a daydream VR for long because it keeps slipping and you might just end up readjusting it all the time. In the case of Gear VR, even though it is heavy because of the design the headset sits securely and doesn’t need any readjusting once worn.

2. Daydream VR needs Pixel phones in order to work. They do promise a future where most of the phones are going to be Daydream compatible but that seems a little far-fetched for now. The Gear VR is compatible with a couple of phones from the Samsung Galaxy line and the Samsung Note.

3. You have a remote control which you can use to point and select objects in VR whereas in the Gear VR you have the touchpad at the side of the VR headset which you constantly need to operate in order to navigate or play games in VR.

The remote control seems a much better option because keeping your arms raised just to operate the touchpad can actually cause a lot of pain in the long run.You can buy a separate controller for the Gear VR which is totally up to you.

4. This VR headset has a field of view which is around 90 degrees which are very less compared to the field of view provided by the Gear VR which is around 100 degrees. The Gear VR is way better when it comes to the resolution and other features.

5. Moving on to the apps and games supported on the VR headsets, there is no doubt that the Gear VR has more than thousands of apps and games that you can find on the Oculus Store and it is unbeatable when it comes to the quality of games that can be played on this headset. The content on the Gear VR is great in both quality as well as quantity.

6. The Daydream VR works with the aid of the Sensors present in the phones and is a wireless connection, on the other hand, the phones in the Gear VR headset works based on the micro-USB which automatically connects with the phone when you insert it inside the VR headset.

7. The Daydream VR doesn’t block external light well, which makes the experience not so immersive, whereas the Gear VR due to the three-way straps and a much secure fit handles this problem in a much better way giving a much more immersive experience.

Best Games on the VR headsets

The Daydream VR has a pretty good amount of content to start with. Few of the games included are the Dungeon, Need for Speed: No limits VR, Playground, Hunter’s Gate, Fantastic Beasts, Action Bowling and much more. The Need for Speed: No limits by EA games is one of my favorites, I expected it to support VR sooner than this but finally seeing it on Daydream VR just made my day.

If you are a Harry Potter fan then the Fantastic Beasts or Wands(available on Gear VR as well) is pretty much going to be one of your favorite picks among the Daydream games. Overall, the gaming on the Daydream View VR is no less than any other smartphone VR headset and with time the content is only going to increase exponentially.

When it comes to gaming the Daydream VR is no less than the Gear VR. Let’s look at a few games from the latter VR headset. We should not forget that the Gear VR has given us some awesome games and a few of them include Keep Talking And Nobody Explodes, Proton Pulse, Dreadhalls, Soundscape, Oculus Arcade, Minecraft, Temple Run and the list goes on. Pretty much every game that you find in the list of DayDream VR would be available in the Gear VR list as well.

With a very immersive experience combined with an engaging gameplay and an excellent field of view, the Gear VR was one of the best selling smartphone based VR headset giving all of us to change over to Samsung Galaxy series (the ones compatible with the Gear VR). The Gear VR has stayed long enough with us to get a few brownie points but will it be better than the Daydream VR??

Final Verdict

The Daydream has an extremely great VR experience but when it is up against the Gear VR, the competition is close. I personally like the Gear VR but the Daydream View has some great games and apps to support it which makes me wonder at times, which one is better?!

The reason behind the fact that not everyone would be buying the Daydream VR headset is that you need to have the Pixel phone, but once you have the phone, you can go ahead and buy this VR headset which is not something we all have a budget for!

Undoubtedly, the Daydream VR has a much better future since Google promises that there would be a bunch of Daydream VR compatible phones releasing soon. That makes this VR headset more appealing but in the future!

As of now, the Gear VR has to be the winner of the competition because it has most of the games out there and you do not need to buy an expensive phone right away to use it(provided you already own a Gear VR compatible phone). The Gear VR and the Daydream VR might have a different competition the next year with all the improvements and better technologies improving the VR headsets and the content.