Google officially revealed its Daydream View virtual reality headset earlier today during the Made By Google event. While the bulk of the presentation was spent describing the headset itself and how it will work with the Pixel phones also announced today, leader of VR partnerships Adrienne McCallister took to the stage to showcase just a few of the virtual reality games and experiences headed to the Daydream View this year.
The range of games and applications currently announced for Daydream is spread across many genres, and will likely help the VR headset appeal to a wide variety of potential users.
The first experience showcased is a Daydream-exclusive title based on the upcoming Harry Potter spinoff film, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Developed with Warner Brothers by VR veterans Framestore, the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them experience lets players use the Daydream controller as a wand to cast spells and move objects throughout the environment.
Google also announced that EVE Online developer CCP Games will be bringing the sequel to their Gear VR game Gunjack to Daydream. The space shooter Gunjack 2: End of Shift will be coming exclusively to the Daydream platform in November. The sequel will cast players in the role of a turret operator protecting their mining operation from waves of attacking spaceships.
Shortly after the presentation, Volume developer Mike Bithell announced his upcoming Daydream View title EarthShape. Featuring the vocal talents of Sue Perkins, EarthShape tells the story of an astronaut leaving earth on a millennia long mission to terraform the universe.
Other apps mentioned focus more on educational exploration, such as the interactive space maps in Star Chart and virtual reality tours in Google Street View. Beyond what was revealed on stage today, Google has announced that 50 additional titles will be releasing for its VR platform before the end of the year.
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2016