Google officially adding Chrome browser on Daydream VR Headsets

Regardless of the operating system, Chrome is built in a way that it is allowed access on all types of platforms and devices. On the 30th of July, 2018, Chrome was launched on the Lenovo Mirage Solo with Daydream and Google Daydream View. Both are types of headsets.

This means that more people, while in VR, can launch Chrome from their homepage for browsing and interaction with any webpage.

On the Daydream Headset alone, exciting features on Chrome such as incognito mode, voice search, and the fast search can be found on the address bar. For best viewing experience in VR, there is also an upgrade which allows the optimization of web video. The specific feature responsible for this is the new ‘cinema mode’ which is Daydream-specific. Since the integration of Chrome into Daydream, anyone can browse on their phones. In fact, you can make a quick switch to the headset while watching videos on YouTube or while reading a news article.

Till date, this new transformation is regarded as an update by Google for Chrome which supports all Daydream headsets – Lenovo Mirage Solo and the View.

The announcement further confirms that the update is geared towards all Daydream headsets and improving the VR support. However, the update is made available on all platforms, especially for Android phones. To start with, there is a need to update Google Chrome app. Then, the application alongside other VR apps will be ready for launch in the headset. Interestingly, people who use Mirage Solo can also find and install the app. The user will simply search for the app in their Daydream store which can be found in the headset.

According to Google, the update is considered as a full-featured release. The newly improved features which will come in handy are:

• Voice search
• Saved bookmarks
• Incognito mode

For the browser, VR-specific feature is the ‘cinema mode’. In simple terms, it creates an awesome viewing experience in VR by optimizing web video.

Since September 2017, Daydream View headsets users were somewhat accessible to the new Chrome features. Regardless, the feature was hidden. The reason was that the launch could be done when the browser was opened on a phone which was in the non-VR mode. Even though the phone was in the ‘View headset’ mode, the Chrome app would not pop up in the library. In this new version, the method of launch follows the same pattern:

• Navigate to a webpage on the phone
• Put phone into the headset and pull it up in VR mode

For the first standalone Daydream headset – Lenovo Mirage Solo – it was a much more difficult procedure. The challenges were:

• The Lenovo Mirage Solo is not a phone which could allow the installation of Chrome.
• The Daydream app store did not reflect the app at all.
• Non-VR Android apps were inaccessible by the headset.
• Lack of web browser due to Google’s Klout in the browser space.

Fortunately, the update in the Chrome app makes the Daydream app store visible right from the convenience of the headset.