Using an iPhone with Google Cardboard

I haven't heard much about iPhone users trying Google Cardboard, so this post is basically my way of saying "Oh hey, it works."

And yeah. It does, assuming you have a large enough screen for a convincing field of view. iPhone 5/5S/6/6+ will be fine. iPhone 4/4S, probably not. (Sorry!)

What You'll Need

A $25 Google Cardboard kit, or the materials to make one. If you decide to buy, DODOcase is a good option because they (1) explicitly fit iPhone 6/6+ and (2) include a little cardboard spacer to help with the 5/5S.

My DODOcase, after setup. My DODOcase, after setup.

If you'd rather make things yourself, start with Google's instructions.

VR Demos and Games

Hopefully we'll see more options on the App Store before too long, but there are definitely a few worth trying now. My favorites:

VRSE — Selection of VR films from Sundance Film Festival. One, Clouds Over Sidra, was created with the UN and gives a very unique look at a Syrian refugee camp.

A scene from "Clouds Over Sidra", one of the films in VRSE. A scene from Clouds Over Sidra, one of the films in VRSE.

Volvo Reality — Okay, this one might be an ad for the Volvo XC90. Whatever. The scenery is lovely, it's a neat experience, and more content will be coming out episodically.

Volvo Reality Volvo Reality: a quick test drive to a weekend getaway.

You can also find WebVR (WebGL-based VR) content online, most of which should work equally well on iOS or Android. Google posted several interesting examples on the Chrome Experiments page.