Google recently made improvements to its Daydream virtual reality platform that will see its usefulness expand in several ways. First, it is giving the Lenovo Mirage Solo headset the ability to support six degrees of freedom. Together with hand trackers, this allows Mirage Solo users to more accurately interact with virtual worlds. Google says it is using "machine learning and off-the-shelf parts to accurately estimate the 3D position and orientation of the controllers." This means 6DoF can be built into VR headsets at a lower cost. Google gave developers new APIs in order to test this experimental features. The Mirage Solo also gains a see-through mode, allowing wearers to see the real world around them through the headset's cameras. On mobile devices, Google is opening up all Android apps to its phone-based VR experience. Developers can use new tools to add Daydream VR support to their existing 2D applications. Google says its Chrome team recycled existing 2D interfaces from its Chrome Browser Sync to make this possible. Once developers make their apps Daydream enabled, Daydream users will be able to open those apps via their Daydream VR headset and interact with them. Google is calling these features experimental for now.


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