Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Mobile
  3. News

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

New foam Merge VR headset launches today for pre-order, running Google Cardboard

By

Thanks to Google Cardboard, VR has become much cheaper for beginners who want to test the platform. Merge VR is the latest startup that wants to offer a headset to newbies, though the firm has avoided the use of cardboard for the headset in favor of foam.

Amazon

The purple polycarbonate headset offers more comfort than a cardboard shell, which should be good for extended gaming or watching a movie. There is also a small container near the front of the headset to fit your smartphone, used to beam VR content into your eyes.
Recommended Videos

You can also buy a remote similar to the Wii remote, which lets users control games, switch channels, and move around the user interface. The remote is made of the same foam material, and comes in black. The remote will integrate with all apps on Merge VR’s own ecosystem, but will be incompatible with most Google Cardboard apps until developers add support for it.

Related

Remotes tend to reduce the potential motion sickness of virtual reality, since by using them, the user doesn’t have to continuously move their head to interact with the game.

Merge VR revealed the headset at E3 2015 earlier in the year, but we haven’t heard much since. The news that pre-orders start today, with a November 15 release date, confirms that the company hasn’t given up on the cheap virtual reality project.

The headset will be available on Amazon for $80, and the remote will be available for an undetermined price. Merge VR is also launching in the UK with video game retailer Game UK, costing £50. Merge VR is more expensive than Google Cardboard’s base model, which costs $30, but the headset offers more comfort as well as an ecosystem of apps and games.

Correction on 11-10-2015 by Malarie Gokey: The original version of this article stated that the VR headset comes with the controller, but that is incorrect. The article has been changed to reflect that Merge VR sells the headset and controller separately. 

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
David Curry
David Curry
Former Digital Trends Contributor
David has been writing about technology for several years, following the latest trends and covering the largest events. He is…
We now know how Apple’s VR headset may handle video, and it’s pretty awesome
A rendering of an Apple mixed-reality headset (Reality Pro) in a gray color seen from the front.

Ever since the first rumors surfaced that Apple was working on a mixed-reality headset, it has been assumed that immersive video would be a key feature of the device. Yet we’ve never really known exactly how this would work -- until now.

That’s because Apple has just been granted a patent (USPTO number 11570417) that goes into detail on how a user might watch video content while wearing the headset, which will allegedly be dubbed Reality Pro. And that patent presents an intriguing system that could have uses beyond simple video.

Read more
Here’s why Apple’s VR headset may become an ‘expensive flop’
A model poses with a Meta Quest Pro over a colorful background.

Apple’s upcoming mixed-reality headset risks becoming a “high-profile flop” due to its high price and the wariness of potential customers. That’s according to a new report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who lays out numerous hurdles the headset has to clear if it isn’t to end up an embarrassment for Apple.

So far, most leaks and rumors surrounding the headset have been more or less positive, touting the highly advanced technology the product is said to contain. The price, however, has been a point of contention, and it is that point that could drag down Apple’s efforts, the report claims.

Read more
Apple ‘Reality’ AR/VR headset: major leak shares new details
A render of Apple's VR headset.

A new report reveals several interesting details about Apple's AR/VR headset, which is expected to arrive in 2023. Apple remains silent on this product, but there have been enough patents filed, as well as leaks, to provide confirmation that the iPhone maker has done intensive research into the first of several AR wearables.

The latest news comes from The Information, which has provided some of the most detailed data of any leaker so far. The headset was already expected to be incredibly lightweight, which could be due to the battery being worn around the waist, as explained in the report. Apple's VR solution is said to feature a hot-swap design for the battery that would make the reported one-to-two-hour battery life less annoying.

Read more