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Google Daydream

Virtual Reality headset
Google Cemetery

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GENERAL INFORMATION
Category:
Design
Started:
2016
BUSINESS FAILURE
Cause:
Multiple Reasons
Closed:
2019

Don't be the average security professional that spends 4,300 hours annually to maintain compliance. Simplify your audits and reduce your workload with G2's 5-star rated compliance automation platform.

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Description

Google Daydream was a VR project that launched in 2016. It consisted of a headset with a place to put your phone and easily enjoy VR content and a controller. 

Since it operated with users’ mobile devices, it was also quite affordable at $100. Furthermore, it was a better alternative to Google’s previous headset – Cardboard. Or at least it was made of far better materials and was generally more comfortable to wear.

Google Daydream


Cause of Failure

Daydream was pulled out of Google Store in October 2019 and the new Google devices that came out that month, such as Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL, no longer supported the VR setup.

That didn’t come as much of a surprise considering the AR market development at the time. Giants like Facebook’s Oculus and Samsung also had pretty much stopped supporting their Gear VR system.

For their part, Google based their decision on how slow their VR products were moving on the market. There wasn’t as much interest from customers as initially anticipated, and the company believed it has to do with how the headsets worked. The technology used customer’s phones and left users without easy access to non-AR apps they might want to use.

Google informed customers that even though new technology wasn’t compatible with the Daydream service, the company would continue to support older devices.

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