The moment millions of VR enthusiasts have been waiting for has finally arrived: Samsung’s Galaxy S8 and S8+ smartphones are now 100% Daydream-ready. This means the Galaxy S8 line of phones are the first ever to support both the Oculus-powered Gear VR ecosystem and Google’s budding Daydream platform.
We first found out the support would officially be coming back in May of this year with some hints that it was just around the corner only a couple of weeks ago and now today Google made it official with an announcement GIF on Twitter linking to the Google blog.
The Daydream-ready update is rolling out now to @SamsungMobile Galaxy S8 and S8+. Explore new worlds with #Daydream. https://t.co/KaRNJEcURi pic.twitter.com/PEeC6RfyyZ
— Google VR (@googlevr) July 31, 2017
If you don’t have the update yet, be patient. Roll outs like this usually happen in phases and can take a little while.
This update now makes the Galaxy S8 one of the most attractive VR devices on the planet from a development perspective. With over 5 million potential users on the Gear VR and however many thousands (or millions? Fingers crossed?) already own a Daydream View and will soon be purchasing one (they’re only $63 on Amazon right now and come with a controller) the market is more ripe than ever before.
When we originally reviewed the S8 in conjunction with the new Gear VR + its controller, we called it the best mobile VR combination available. That’s still true and now with Daydream support, the S8 is even harder to beat.
With regard to Daydream-ready devices, Google’s own Pixel is of course on the list, as well as the Moto Z, Mate 9 Pro, Axon 7, and soon the ASUS ZenPhone AR. However, the Galaxy S8 and S8+ are the only phones that support both Daydream and Gear VR on the market.
What do you think of this news? Do you own both a View headset and a Gear VR that you still use? Let us know down in the comments below!
