Google Cardboard Knox One: VR solution of the future or a (very) cheap gimmick?

Truth be told, when Google showcased the Google Cardboard back in at their annual I/O conference in 2014, I thought it was all a ruse for something bigger.

I mean, who could take it seriously? The Oculus Rift, a higher-end and more expensive device, was quickly becoming the face of modern virtual reality headsets after being showcased in 2012, so the thought of Google competing with a $20 piece of cardboard and some plastic lenses seemed futile. Could you actually turn your smartphone into a virtual reality headset with some folded cardboard?

To my surprise, it wasn't a joke at all. In fact, we got our hands on one and have put it through the wringer to bring you its pros, cons, and our overall impressions of the setup.

The Specimen

Google doesn't produce its own Cardboard viewers. Instead, they have a list of different suppliers all with their own version of the viewer tagged given the 'Works with Google Cardboard' seal of approval. The most basic and, unsurprisingly, cheaper models are made with cardboard, whereas other viewers feature higher-end materials and better build quality. For this hands-on, I'll be looking at the Knox Labs - Knox One viewer that's fitted specifically for my Nexus 5 Android phone.

The Knox One: The Basics

• Pre-cut cardboard for quick assembly

• High grade magnets

• Lenses - 25mm diameter, asymmetrical 45mm focal length

• Velcro strips

• Rubber band

• NFC tag

Construction

Putting the Knox One together was not as easy as it I'd hoped despite watching a video tutorial in advance, following the labeled numbers closely and reviewing the instructions several times over. I maintain that Knox did all they could to make this as easy as possible and it still left me stumped as I didn't want to damage the final product. It's hard to imagine the viewer coming in any other form as the package mailed to us was quite compact. Eventually, my editor managed to put it together and made quips at my expense.

Build Quality

Putting it simply, the Knox One feels great. It's light, durable and I'd be surprised if anyone was able to wear the cardboard down quickly. That being said, it's still only cardboard, and the number of times I had to remove my Nexus 5 to restart applications or choose new ones will probably take its toll on the Velcro and some of the folds over time.

Cardboard Software

After I strapped in my Nexus 5 and loaded up the Google Cardboard software, I was pretty surprised at what this demo was able to accomplish. As a first time user, and skeptic of virtual reality in general, I had fun with some of the apps, and it gave me some idea as to where this software could be headed in the future. Here's a quick look at some of the notable demos that come as part of the Cardboard software:

• Tutorial: Shows you how to navigate your 'Works with Google Cardboard' device. A great place to start as I had no idea what I was doing.

• Tour Guide: Puts you in a particular locale and gives you a 360 degree view of your surroundings. Just think about going into the Smithsonian or the Louvre without ever having to leave your home.

• Exhibit: Showcases a few objects that you would find in said museum and allows you to rotate it 360 degrees by moving your head.

• Windy Day: My favourite demo of the bunch, Windy Day is a painfully cute and amusing story about a mouse and his hat. You follow along with the story by moving your head left to right while keeping an eye on the mouse as he tries to reclaim his lost hat. Hijinks ensue.

• Earth: One of the demos I was really excited for, Earth allows you to travel to actual real life areas with buildings, bridges and everything else rendered entirely. Unfortunately, we could only view a couple of areas but what I did see had a ton of potential for those that want to travel the world on a $20 budget.

Though the Cardboard app did a great job of introducing me to the potential of the viewer and future apps, it also did a lot to frustrate me as well. While I was able to forgive some of the calibration issues and the lack of more immersive demos, one thing that really turned me off was that I found myself removing my Nexus 5 from the viewer time after time due to frozen or bugged apps. This removed me from the experience completely and dialed down my excitement when showing it off to others around the office.

Wrap Up

For $20, it's a pretty decent piece of hardware. The Knox One feels great, has a solid build and does what it sets out to do. It's a low-cost virtual reality viewer that, when coupled with the Cardboard app, does a good job of introducing users to the future of VR.

But, as I've seen time and time again with new hardware, the product is only as good as the support system behind it. Right now, there are just too few apps that make use of Google Cardboard. The technology is new, I get it, but when the demos can't function without hiccups and the Play Store is severely lacking Cardboard apps, it's hard to imagine there's a ton of games ready to go live at the press of a button.

While there isn't much available to make use of Google Cardboard at the moment, the low-cost of entry coupled with the potential of immersive apps in the future make Google Cardboard and other technology like it something to keep an eye on.

Hopefully there's more to see when Google I/O hits on May 28. We'll definitely be keeping an eye on day two of the event at 2pm EST where there's a scheduled keynote about designing for virtual reality and, potentially, some new VR hardware.