Order Google Cardboard from USA with Good Reviews

[DiracPool]

Can someone recommend a good source for me to order some of that VR cardboard for the smartphones? It doesn't have to be fancy, probably the cheaper the better. But all the websites I find that sell it seem kind of dodgy, and most get bad reviews. Everything's coming from China and takes weeks upon end to deliver, if it gets delivered at all. So if you've ordered a kit, are from the USA and had a good experience, please let me know..

 

[jedishrfu]

Like at Google:

https://www.google.com/get/cardboard/get-cardboard/

and do you want the raw cardboard:

http://www.uline.com/Grp_38/Corrugated-Pads

You could probably use an old box too or get some foam board for a cooler look:

http://www.uline.com/BL_870/Foam-Co...b-rn41OmsSZDMmbipqYLRxoCk_7w_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Also many hobbyist stores like Michael's or Hobby Lobby carries foam board for picture mounting.

 

[DiracPool]

Also many hobbyist stores like Michael's or Hobby Lobby carries foam board for picture mounting.

First of all, there's a Hobby Lobby right next to the gym I go to but I'll never buy anything from them because of political differences. (edited by mentor)

As far as the Google reference, thanks, but I'm looking for a $5 corrugated solution to get in the door. $30 for some cardboard seems a little steep.

I was thinking of something more Spartan to get my feet wet in VR, such as $1 to $4 cardboard as advertised by these fine fellows:

http://www.gearbest.com/home-gadgets/pp_202874.html?currency=USD&gclid=CKn2mrLEn8sCFReUfgodSKAIPw
http://www.gearbest.com/action-toys/pp_70013.html?currency=USD&gclid=CPGpuLDEn8sCFUiPfgod6XsNmQ

But good luck ever seeing it?

That's why I was asking if anyone actually bought something from this kind of operation. What I'm leaning toward now is a compromise--"Unoffical cardboard."

http://www.unofficialcardboard.com/

It's about the halfway mark price wise and looks legit. So legit, in fact, that I saw people using the brand at the Oscars ceremony last night. It's $15 cardboard. But I'm still taking alternative suggestions for now if anyone has some personal experience.

 

[DiracPool]

As far as the Google reference, thanks, but I'm looking for a $5 corrugated solution to get in the door. $30 for some cardboard seems a little steep.

UPDATE: Although it was a little steep, I did order and receive the "unofficial cardboard" package. It came delivered as advertised, so that's all good. Total cost was $27, but what I got was a quality product, a click switch, and a head strap so I can confine myself against my will in VR environment.

The problem is that my smartphone doesn't rise to the challenge. I've got cheap LG Optimus F6 that only has an accelerometer and a compass. What's missing is the all-important "gyroscope." You can only find these on more expensive smartphones. I did some research on this today and there are literally hundreds of different smartphone models. I couldn't believe it, how many do we need?

Let's look at the backstory, though. As I stated in a post here earlier, I have a friend that owns a computer repair shop just down the road. I've been buying and selling and trading him computers and computer parts for the past seven years. So every time I walk in, we talk shop. He told me he was looking forward to the public release of the commercial version of the Oculus Rift because he owned one of the early "developer kits" and loved it.

The problem with the Oculus Rift is it's prohibitive price entry. Not only do you have to buy the Rift package, which is about $500, but you have to have a superpowered video card, i.e., Geforce 970 or above, plus (it was two but it now seems to be) three USB3.0 ports on your desktop. Laptops need not apply.

I've got everything else covered but my motherboard only has two USB3.0 ports, WTF

As far as the smartphone VR Google cardboard angle, it's not as simple as just getting a 5 inch screen, as I thought it would have been after reading what the qualifications of using Google cardboard were. There's several other variables involved that I found in my research today, most of it which I found on "Reddit," which I typically try to avoid like the plague, but I got what I need from them there today.

If you want to do VR seriously on a smartphone, the size of the screen isn't so important although a 5 inch screen is a good standard. What is also important, though, is the pixel density, which you want to be about 500. Also, you ant to have at least a 1920x1080 screen, or else you are going to see the RGB pixels in the viewer which, trust me, is all so apparent in my Optimus F6.

Another thing is the GPU on your smartphone. I didn't know these devices were so complicated. I'm an 80's guy who still wears a mullet, so I didn't know that phones had GPU processors, but apparently they do. And since the smartphones have to render two stereoscopic versions of the media you are playing in order to get VR with a high fidelity, the GPU on your smartphone is also important. You want to get the best you can.

Plus, it goes without saying you want as much RAM as you can get, 2 gigs or more is best, and at least a quad core processor, 1.9 GHZ or better. Again, there's hundreds of phones that meet this qualification, I've been researching them all day. But if you want to VR on your smartphone, there are some important pre-requisites. I've listed them above. Of course, in your mission t buy your new smartphone, I'd also take these factors into consideration...Is there a "barometer" on the sensors list of the phones specs? What does the barometer do? No, it doesn't check the humidity, it checks your distance from the center of the Earth in order to accentuate the GPS tracking of your device in order to render faster GPS location readings. Is it imperative that you need this feature? IDK. Eager to hear your comments and if you've had some experience with Google cardboard and if you can recommend a good "bang for your buck" smartphone with a gyroscope and an accordingly affordable carrier? Thanks in advance

 

[Hornbein]

Have you considered a cute puppy?

 

[DiracPool]

Have you considered a cute puppy?

I don't like dogs, they're too noisy. They disrupt my Gedankenexperiments. I like cats.

Plus, you can't ride a virtual roller coaster by sticking a dog to your face. Didn't you get the memo smartypants?