Google’s short-lived foray into virtual reality has come to a close. The tech giant has officially announced that it has ended support for Daydream VR software and that, starting with Android 11, its mobile phone OS is no logner guarenteed to work properly with the mobile-powered VR setup.
This official end of support falls nearly four years after Google first launched its mobile-powered Daydream View VR headset, but really the end of official support has been something Google has been quietly working its way towards for some time now through hardware discontinuations and the like.
If last year’s discontinuation of Daydream support for Google’s Pixel-branded phones is any indication, a general lack of interest in its VR offerings is likely to blame.
Speaking to Variety last October, Google blamed a lack of broad consumer and developer adoption as well as decreasing usage of the Daydream View over time as is reasons for dropping support on Pixel (and ending the sale of its physical Daydream View headsets).
Though no longer in production, Google does note that an end of support won’t prevent the Daydream View from functioning, nor will it wipe current VR apps from mobile storefronts. In a support article, Google adds that “many of the third-party apps and experiences within Daydream may still be available as standalone apps in the Google Play store. We don’t expect users to lose account information or functionality for third-party apps as a result of Daydream no longer being supported by Google.”