Google’s new Pixel phones are great technology. Ignoring all the «like an iPhone» nonsense from people who have yet to own phones, these pixels look and feel fantastic. The three colors they come in also stand out in their own way. Really Blue, Very Silver and Quite Black are fun, striking designs ready to live in your pocket or new Daydream View headset. This headset is its own unique step forward for Google and VR, but in our hands with Daydream View, it’s clear that there could be a real problem when using two Pixel color options with glossy white fronts in this headset.
The Daydream View demo area was intentionally dark. Darker than the rest of the event space, a bit, which is impressive considering the nightclub vibe has soured. Each of these demo stations had a 5.5-inch Quite Black pixel ready to go. Sitting in the back of this dark demo station, turning my head so that my back was facing the light source, found some significant light bleeding coming from the sides of the headset that was not completely flush with the skin. On the one hand, this design is great for comfort and for keeping my prescription glasses out of my face. It’s a great feeling, especially when compared to the Samsung Gear VR. On the other hand, despite Google’s attempts to hide it, the light bleeding was quite noticeable.
This may not matter much in most user situations if you have a reasonably black pixel, but both very silver and really blue pixels have a glossy white front. This white front means that the bleeding reflections will stand out and add more light to the space between your eyes and the lenses. This is a problem for two reasons.
First, the headset itself will become less exciting when you can see the rest of the world around you in reflections. Immersion in Daydream is much more important than ever in Cardboard because it is expected to take some time. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, the reflections will give your eyes something else to focus on. Fast focusing between content on the display and reflections on the glass quickly increases eye strain, which can cause users with headaches and general soreness to be much faster than with most other VR headsets designed to be worn for extended periods of time. ,