Today during a private showcase San Francisco, CA, Google announced new Made By Google hardware. During the event, the search giant announced new products including Pixel 2 smartphones, new Google Home speakers, a Chromebook Pixel successor in Pixelbook, Pixel buds, Google Clips, and a revamped Daydream View headset for VR. It has been a little over a year since the launch of Google’s Daydream platform, and today the company took wraps off a brand new Daydream View headset that will seemingly replace the older unit from last year. The second-generation Google VR headset has some slight improvements including added durability and more. Here’s everything we know.

There are a few new things you’ll notice this year about the 2017 Daydream View headset other than its new lens. First, the material of the headset is nylon instead of the jersey fabric of last year, which likely makes the device more water and stain-resistant than last year’s. It’s also possible that it’ll be lighter and more comfortable. Google has tightened things up with the front of the headset (the phone holder), closing the gap between the phone holder and the remaining portion of the headset. This means that you’ll likely have better phone protection with the phone holder. Nearly ten phones are compatible according to the Made By Google website, including both the original and new Pixel smartphones.

There are three colors for the new Daydream View: Charcoal, Fog, and Coral, and each of these new colors will have matching VR Bluetooth controllers to go alongside of them. The controller has two buttons (home and menu) and a trackpad on the front along with volume buttons on the side. Essentially, the controller allows you to interact with the virtual world by mimicking real world interactions. It’s equipped with sensors to detect your physical movements and gestures to provide precise responses in the virtual world.

To use the new Daydream View, you’ll have to pair the headset to your phone and download the Daydream mobile app from Google’s Play Store. Google is including $40 worth of VR games as an incentive to buy, but there are more than 200 high-quality VR titles available and the catalog is growing with every day. Off course, you’ll have Google apps like YouTube, Google Play Movies, Google Photos, Google Maps, and Street View too. And now, with Google’s new headset, you’ll be able to stream what’s being seen inside the headset to your TV so that others can share the experiences.

The price of the new Daydream View headset has been set at $99, which is $20 more than the previous headset’s $79 price tag. It’s been rumored, though, that LG V30 buyers in the US could get it for free. It’ll be available from October 19 in select countries. Google has opened pre-orders today, and retailers will begin selling the device once it becomes available later this month. The technology seems to be more complete now, so if you’re interested in trying out VR for the first time, Google’s new Daydream View is not a bad place to start for just $99 if you have the required hardware. There is though, the competition. And Google isn’t really offering anything special nor unique.

What do you think of the Daydream View headset? Got a favorite color you want to buy?

We’ll keep you posted on everything Google right as it happens! Follow us on social media for up to the minute updates from the search giant’s Made By Google 2017 event.

SOURCE [Google Keyword]