It seems Google Inc. had it sights set on the average consumer rather than the virtual reality fanatic when it came up with the idea of the Daydream View headset. As we noted yesterday, the headset is temptingly priced to woo the curious shopper into trying out this new(wave) fad called VR. The question we now might ask is: Is it any good?

While we haven’t yet had the chance to test it out ourselves, plenty of others have, so we’ll give you a rundown on their thoughts.

Wired wrote an extensive review, opening the piece with ergonomic and aesthetic points: There are no annoying cables to deal with, it’s light, it’s easy to set-up, and unlike the Oculus Rift or HTC Vive you don’t require a high-end PC to drive it out of the garage –  you will however need one of Google’s new Daydream-ready Pixel phones.

Wired’s David Peirce told us, “It’s meant to make virtual reality, the most sci-fi futuristic of current technologies, feel approachable.” He goes on to explain that after trying monster-killing games, YouTube VR, and what sounded something like a rather lackluster game of virtual billiards, he said he was “smitten” with Google’s “goofy” piece of futurist, but relatively simplistic, hardware.

The Verge mirrored these sentiments, again opening with lines extolling the device’s easy use and comfortable fit, denying the skeptic’s suspicion that it is just a posh version of Google Cardboard. It fits perfectly, says the The Verge, it connects to your phone seamlessly – unlike the “awkward jiggling and sliding” with Cardboard.

The writer offered no qualitative review of the games he played, only concluding that, “Daydream will ultimately live or die based on whether Google can deliver any compelling experiences for it. But the easier and more pleasant it is to use, and the lower the barrier to getting into those experiences, the easier it is to make them feel worth people’s time.”

Finally, TechCrunch had a go on the Daydream, again lauding the “awesome” ergonomics, adding that one of the stand-out features is that when engaging with content Google’s device doesn’t induce nausea. As for the content, “It’s pretty cool,” says the reviewer, hastening to add that those who have experienced more expensive VR headsets will likely not be very impressed.

“The headset is totally cool,” said TechCrunch, “and, while it would’ve been nice to see Google push the innovation envelope a bit in terms of its first broad offering for Daydream, it’s clear that they’re aiming to satisfy the average user.” Oh, and TechCrunch disagrees with The Verge. Their reviewer says it is just a posh version of Cardboard.

Photo credit: Google