Google Daydream offers a new way to interact with your world in virtual reality. With the remote, you are afforded a greater degree of ability to easily navigate from one menu to another with aplomb and ease. At least when the remote works as it seems. While controller drift during video can be distracting, if it pops up while playing it can seriously knock you off your feet. Luckily, there are a few different ways to fix this problem so it doesn’t ruin your VR experience.
Update your software
If your controller is behaving weird the first time you enter Daydream mode, then it might be ridiculously easy to fix. Open Google Daydream in the Google Play Store. From here, make sure your Daydream app is fully up to date.
If an update is required, install it and then register to make sure the controller is working properly. If it still works, go to the settings menu and make sure your android software is up to date. Although this does not work in all cases, a number of users have reported that updating their software fixes the misalignment issues.
Click on your controller
One of the easiest troubleshooting methods requires you to troubleshoot the controller directly. While it seems a little odd, it looks like a hard press on the back of the controller can solve a lot of drift issues. It doesn’t require a lot of force, and it’s easy enough that you can do it without even removing your Daydream headset from your face.
What you want to do is flip it over and place the controller in your hand with the touchpad facing down. From there, you want to lightly touch the back of the controller where the touchpad is. You don’t want to hit the controller when you do this. Rather, you should aim for a solid tap.
Recalibrate the controller on a hard surface
In some cases, the issue has been resolved by recalibrating the Daydream remote. You can always calibrate from within VR by pressing a button on your controller and having it re-image your gaze and your controller. However, in some cases recalibration on a solid hard surface may help.
For this method, you will need a solid surface, such as a table or sofa armrest. Sit on the remote, and from there calibrate it a few times. While this seems like an odd fix, it has worked for some. This is because, for some reason, calibrating the remote when it’s on a stable surface makes it more stable afterwards.
Charge the controller and let the Daydream View cool down
While the 2017 Daydream View comes with a built-in heatsink, this is not the case with the original 2016 model and there were overheating issues. If your controller drift issues start to crop up after you’ve been playing for a while and you haven’t updated your headset, it might be time to take a break.
If your phone has started to heat up inside Daydream, then it is quite possible that this is the cause of your problem. Take your phone out of the headset and let it cool down. If your phone is not warm, your controller may need to be charged. Drift seems to pop up more with the remote when its battery is almost dead. Plug in your controller and let it get a decent charge before trying to jump into VR again.
Contact Google support for a replacement
If none of these solutions solved your issue, it might be time to contact Google Support. Users who have fixed their problems with Daydream View and haven’t found a fix are in luck by contacting Google Support.
Now when you call, they may ask you to go through some of the troubleshooting methods we described above. Don’t be upset, just go through everything with them. If none of their advice solves the problem, you can request an exchange and send in a new remote. For some people, a faulty remote was the cause of a common problem.
