Google announces a Works with Cardboard' program to bring clarity to virtual reality

Google's do-it-yourself approach to creating VR headsets, viewers and apps has been so successful that a host of companies have taken the template as inspiration for their own devices; but with a greater choice can come greater confusion.

So, to make it easier for consumers to understand which devices will work with their phones and apps, Google has set up an official program.

"It's what we dreamed about when we folded our first piece of cardboard, and combined it with a smartphone: a VR experience for everyone! And less than a year later, there's a tremendous diversity of VR viewers and apps to choose from. To keep this creativity going, however, we also need to invest in compatibility," said Andrew Nartker, Google Cardboard's product manager.

If a viewer ‘works with cardboard' it will feature a special orange badge and a QR code that will tell your smartphone exactly what type of viewer it is so that it can adjust VR app playback accordingly.

The program will also give developers and makers the support ant tools they need to carry on creating virtual reality headsets, services and apps that will be compatible with Android devices.