A few years ago, Google introduced Daydream – its mobile virtual reality platform. But this week, the media reported that Daydream will lose official support from Google. The company has confirmed that it is ending software updates for the platform, while also saying that Daydream will not work with the operating system Android 11.
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While this may come as a disappointment to many VR fans, it's not a very surprising move to insiders. In 2016, the Google company ventured into the waters of virtual reality with all its vigor, but gradually gave up its efforts in this direction. The Daydream headset allowed users to — like, say, Samsung VR – enjoy virtual reality on compatible smartphones. However, trends in this area gradually turned towards augmented reality (Augmented Reality - AR), and Google eventually went in this direction as well. It came with its own Tango AR platform and ARCore developer kit which applied in a number of its applications. For a long time, Google practically did not invest in the Daydream platform, mainly because it stopped seeing any potential in it. The truth is that Google's primary source of revenue is mainly its services and software. The hardware - including the aforementioned VR headset - is rather secondary, so it is understandable that the company's management quickly calculated that investing in services and software related to augmented reality will pay off more.
Daydream will continue to be available, but users will no longer receive any additional software or security updates. Both the headset and the controller will still be able to be used to view content in virtual reality, but Google warns that the device may no longer work as it should. At the same time, a number of third-party programs and applications for Daydream will continue to be available in the Google Play Store.
