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.
If you'd rather make things yourself, start with Google's instructions.
- The lenses (biconvex, 45mm focal distance) are the least convenient part. A pair might cost $2-5 on eBay or $10 on Amazon.
- Skip the NFC tag. It won't do anything on the iPhone 6/6+ yet (just Apple reasons), and won't work on the iPhone 5/5S ever (no NFC chip).
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.
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: 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.