Google’s Cardboard virtual reality headset has spawned a lot of copycats since its introduction in 2014. Some stick to the recyclable nature of the original, others have gone for a more permanent solution. This is one of the latter – meet the SMARTvr.
The brainchild of DODOcase, who are known for their custom mobile device covers, the SMARTvr is a highly-portable plastic version of cardboard which can be collapsed into a unit about the size and shape of a smartphone. Which is still a little bulky, considering that you’re already carrying a phone, but it’s less so than a full Cardboard unit. So you can carry it around, show off to your less fortunate friends and it won’t melt in the rain. Win!
The SMARTvr is part of the Works with Cardboard certification program from Google. We’re not sure about you but we’ve yet to see the company slap its name on something that doesn’t really justify a quality guarantee. Ignore those shuttered projects in the corner there, that’s not the same thing at all.
Want to bring your own DODOcase SMARTvr home? First, why all the odd caps? Second, you’ll have to pledge $28 (R435), plus $10 for international shipping, for a grand total of $38 (R590), on IndieGoGo. Which is still cheaper than your cheapest (paid-for) alternative, the Gear VR. Go there now. DODOcase have, at the time of writing, raised around $14,000 of a $25,000 target.
