Google wants you to know it's investing in virtual reality compatibility.

The company's Cardboard VR viewer, which launched last year, has inspired a whole range of budget VR viewers made out of affordable materials, and in an attempt to make them work with the hundreds of Cardboard apps already available through Google Play, as well as deliver a cohesive experience, Google has launched a new programme called Works with Google Cardboard.

The programme gives developers and manufacturers the tools to make any VR viewer compatible with any Cardboard app. It doesn't matter if the viewer is made out of plastic, wood, or cardboard. It also doesn't matter if it features different optics and dimensions than Google Cardboard. These new tools can auto-configure any VR viewer to work well with every Cardboard app.

As part of the programme, manufacturers must place a specific QR code on their Cardboard-certified VR viewer. You'll then scan this code using the recently-updated Google Cardboard app; it'll allow Cardboard apps in Google Play to recognise the viewer’s key parameters (like focal length, input type, and inter-lens distance), resulting in an optimised VR experience for you.

And finally, Google announced that it expanded Google Play's Cardboard apps collection in order to help you find specific VR apps even faster. It specifically added new categories like Music and Video, Games, and Experiences.

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