During this year’s Google I/O event, Google introduced the Google Cardboard, a virtual reality headset that is made from a folded piece of cardboard and uses a Google Nexus phone as the display. While it cannot match the quality of a proper VR headset like the Oculus Rift, the immersion that you can get using the Google Cardboard setup is pretty impressive.
Participants to the event were given a free Google Cardboard kit each and if you weren’t lucky enough to attend the show, Google published a full set of required parts and instructions on how to build your own poor man’s virtual reality headset. However, if you are too lazy too build your own, you can buy the I Am Cardboard kit, a replica of the Google Cardboard, complete with NFC function.
The I Am Cardboard kit comes with everything that you need to build your own virtual reality headset except for the phone and the free downloadable virtual reality app. Most Android phones running Android 4,1 (Jelly Bean) and above should work with the kit although larger phones like the Samsung Galaxy Note series might have problems. The NFC function launches the virtual reality app automatically. It only takes about a minute to construct the headset.
