Daydream controller emulator for new Android VR platform

Virtual reality is quickly on its way to becoming mainstream. Google’s answer to this trend is ‘ Daydream’, its own virtual reality platform that will be available on certain Android phones later this year. What really stood out about the whole presentation — including the ability to experience Google Street View in virtual reality and watching IMAX movies on your phone — was the slick controller that works with it.

Simple and clean in its design, the remote only contains two buttons and a clickable touchpad (the large concave surface near the top). The remote also works as a motion controller, meaning that if you want to select something off in the distance while you’re in virtual reality, all you have to do is point the controller at what you want to select.

In terms of Its design, the Daydream controller looks almost identical to the one that comes with the Oculus Rift — Facebook’s virtual reality headset. It includes two buttons and a smooth, clickable touchpad at the tip. It functions using an orientation sensor that allows users to flick a magic wand, f ling projectiles, flip flapjacks and perform motion-enabled tasks in VR.

Since you won’t be able to see the controller with a giant screen strapped to your face, a pared-down design is the only way to go. Daydream, with its controller, will be available by the end of this year.