Virtual reality is one of those buzz phrases that has been around for ages, but rarely moves beyond niche technology. One creative way to bring it to the masses is by reducing user cost, and that can be achieved through Google Cardboard.
The Google Cardboard initiative lets companies create cardboard VR helmets with lenses that can be sold for $5 and up. Users then insert their phone into the device, and like a View-Master from childhood, you now have a cheap VR helmet.
Game makers Nival have now released a game for Windows Phone called InMind VR as a way to explore this technology for Microsoft fans. The game is rather short and is more of a demonstration of the technology. However, it is certainly well done and very intriguing.
To begin, just download the free game to your Windows Phone 8.1 device. You can then put your phone into one of the many Google Cardboard helmets, which can be purchased direct from vendors (or even on Amazon).
From the game description:
" This first demo allows the player to experience the journey into the patient's brains in search of the neurons that cause mental disorder. Submerge into the microworld and experience the miracles of the human mind."
"The future is nigh. The humanity is standing upon the brink of a new era where modern healthcare makes tremendous scientific advancements. With the help of nanotechnologies, a surgical prototype bathyscaphe allows its operator to shrink to a microlevel and travel inside the patient's body."
InMind VR lets you float through a brain where you can see individual neurons. When you come across a red one (damaged, diseased) you look at it by tilting your head. Once locked, you will automatically fire a weapon at it to destroy it.
The game uses a split-view pane for each eye and the accelerometer/gyroscope for head movement. Moving your head around (with the Google Cardboard and phone combo) results in letting you "view" the virtual world, in this case, the human brain.
InMind VR is free, very well done and quite clever. Hopefully, this will not be the first and last VR game to come to Windows Phone, as this style of immersion certainly has its benefits.
Watch the two videos above of the gameplay and trailer to get a better idea of how it all works, then download the title below!
Download InMind VR for Windows Phone 8.1 (Free, requires gyroscope)
