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Comment by NathanKP | Hacker News Reader

I think the approach of giving it a fabric look and feel will be huge for the non techy consumer market appeal. This device looks like something that I can put on and relax on the couch with. The other VR headsets I've seen are much more of a "strap this hard plastic gadget to your head" feel.

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The problem with fabric is that it gets dirty pretty quick, you can wipe plastic easily, but with fabric, it will be a dirty mess in a week of use.

It looked like it was even fabric on the nose area, while very comfortable, I'd imagine that is where a lot of sweat would gather.

The part that actually comes in contact with your face is detachable and machine washable.

Depending on the type of fabric, it can breathe extremely well.

What the hell do you think you're going to be doing? You'll be parked on the couch.

Have you used any VR headsets? Sweating is definitely a real issue.

Also the human nose is very oily. Ever hear people mentioning "powdering their nose"

Good point, so I checked - it's hand washable.

Yeah, but let's be honest with ourselves for a moment.

I've only used my original Cardboard probably about a dozen times, but it definitely looks more like a dirty pizza box than I'd like.

Should be noted that the Oculus Rift is also made of fabric but agreed that it is a great idea, and unique in the mobile VR space.

The difference is Google Daydream is really making the fabric texture very, very obvious. It almost looks like a soft American Apparel tshirt or something like that: http://i.imgur.com/F2iR3nm.png

On the other hand in Oculus marketing the surface doesn't even look like fabric: http://i.imgur.com/UnRJndA.png

I wonder how Oculus' fabric needing to be IR-transparent for the tracking LEDs affects their choice of fabric. Maybe it has to be black?

Wait seriously? I've never noticed that!

It's quite a nice touch, but it's not evident at all from their marketing material for the most part. It's pretty noticeable if you hold the actual device.

VR headsets are designed to be comfy to wear in general.

This is an Apple like move, they made it sexy and "nice". Something that might appeal to the masses.

The design reminds me of a nice, snug pair of underwear :)

Clever distinction from the standard devices out there!

My first thought was: a sleeping mask!

My first thought (esp for the "slate" and "snow" colours) was star wars cold gear as seen on Hoth:

http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/2/24/All...

Xiaomi did it first https://www.google.com.mx/amp/www.theverge.com/platform/amp/...

From what we saw from the pictures the material in contact with your skin looks pretty much the same as what Occulus / steamvr has, only the appearance looks different.

Do you think people will come home and sit with screens 5cm in front of their faces after a long day?

Personally I do not know anyone who thinks that wearing a headset like this is acceptable, nor can I see it becoming popular with consumers (eg how often do you see someone with a bluetooth headset for calls on these days). I certainly couldn't see my mum sat at home with one of these on - could you?

Perhaps my perspective is biased by where I am (the UK).

I agree. But isn't this limited by the fact it runs from a phone? Otherwise Oculus and whoever else are wasting their time developing custom hardware, no?

Oculus has been making a phone headset alongside Samsung called the Gear VR for years.

Of course it's limited, but it beats the high-end solutions in other metrics (I'd guess price (if you aren't buying a phone just for it), weight, computer requirement, cabling) so there's going to be a market if it manages to work otherwise. The high-end solutions require quite a big commitment in comparison.

Right, makes sense. Thanks.

Where did you get this info from? The link posted only has a line drawing rendering of the device.

http://live.arstechnica.com/googles-104-pixel-event/ has a live-stream of the event.

Thanks. For others interested, here's a picture: http://live.arstechnica.com/googles-104-pixel-event/images/I...

On the google store now too: https://store.google.com/product/daydream_view

They remind me of the Allbirds shoes that are a fad right now - the same soft look and feel.

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