Virtual Reality — the buzz word that is on everybody’s tongues nowadays. But, there’s one tech giant that is trying to bring the technology closer to the masses, with the development of its own mobile VR platform ‘Daydream’. Google has today announced that the VR platform is now ready for use by developers, and has released the very first SDK out of beta. It is now available for download on the developer website.
Google had first announed that it was working on its own VR platform Daydream at the I/O Developer Conference back in May, and had said it will be compatible with all upcoming Nougat smartphones. The tech behemoth had also given us a peek at the reference design for a new VR headset and a proprietary hand-held controller. It also supports integrated asynchronous re-projection, high fidelity spatialized audio and multiple interactions via the controller.
But, we’re here to talk about the release of the VR development tools i.e VR SDK 1.0 that will allow developers to focus on building immersive, interactive mobile VR applications for Daydream-ready phones and headsets.
It has also partnered with Unity and Unreal to give you access to familiar game engines and tools — to start development right away. In addition to advantage of Unity’s optimizations in VR rendering, this release also brings with it support for features like head tracking, deep linking, and easy Android manifest configuration.
[The team has also] made significant improvements to the native UE4 integration that will help developers build better production-quality Daydream apps. The latest version introduces Daydream controller support in the editor, a neck model, new rendering optimizations, and much more.
Google, at the developer conference, had also announced that the VR platform will come packed with a home launcher and a modified version of Google Play. The company has also partnered with the likes of Hulu, Netflix, HBO, Wall Street, NBA, IMAX and top-tier game studios like Ubisoft and EA to offer a number of apps from day one of the launch.
While the first Daydream-ready phones and headset are coming this fall, you can start developing high-quality Daydream apps right now with the Google VR SDK 1.0 and the DIY developer kit,
adds Nathan Martz, Product Manager, Google VR in the blogpost.
Also Google is now opening up a new Daydream Access Program (DAP) to accept application requests from developers interested in becoming a part of the launch effort. It is also looking to closely curate the quality of apps that make their way into the upcoming platform. To apply, interested developers can click right here.
