If you’re the owner of a Google Daydream View headset, there’s about to be a lot more content to watch in your little headset.
Today, Google announced that HBO’s standalone subscription app, HBO NOW, is arriving on the company’s Daydream mobile VR platform. The company also announced that Netflix will soon be arriving on the Daydream platform as well, though they didn’t offer a ton in the way of details. All I can say is that if offline viewing is available on Daydream and I can muster up the lack of self-respect to bust one of these out on an airplane, this could be a great way to spend a flight.
The HBO NOW app, which is identical in appearance to the HBO GO VR app, allows viewers of the gory/sexy/profanity-laden TV network’s subscription service to enjoy their favorite HBO shows and movies in a home theater virtual reality setting.
Notably if you have any reason to question your reality, watching Westworld in a virtual reality headset probably isn’t a smart move.
There isn’t anything in the way of VR content in the app at the moment, you’re stuck with watching 2D content in a 3D setting, but perhaps soon HBO will embrace the 3D versions of some of the popular movies it has in its library if we’re lucky. HBO NOW VR keeps the interface design of its desktop site, though they should likely think about picking a bolder typeface or a larger font size given that text tends to appear a bit more low-res when it’s one inch away from your eyes.
The only Daydream phones available at the moment are Google’s Pixel phones as well as the Moto Z and Moto Z Force, but more Daydream-compatible phones will be on the way in 2017. That’s plenty of time if you’re waiting until season 2 of Westworld, which we’re all going to be waiting until 2018 for. No word on the release date for Netflix VR but we’ll keep you posted.