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Are Daiso’s smartphone VR goggles worth breaking the 100-yen barrier?

Master Blaster Jan 28, 2020
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A rare instance where reading the fine print was a bad idea.

If there are two things our writer Go Hatori loves, it’s 100-yen shops and tech. When he’s not buying face trainers or leg wax, he’s relaxing with his PSVR or OculusGO.

So when Go spotted a pair of “Virtual Reality Googles” while prowling Daiso the other day, he felt conflicted. VR is certainly great fun, but can it be captured as well with such discounted gear? Even more disconcerting was the fact it wasn’t even in the standard Daiso 100-yen (US$0.91) price range. It was marked up to a whopping 500 yen ($4.56).

This seemed especially odd since rival stores like Seria and Can Do sell smartphone VR kits for a flat 100 yen. In this cut-throat business Daiso must think they have something extra special to jack up the price 500 percent.

Looking more closely at the package, Go read: “Install VR Application on your smartphone and use. VR application can be downloaded from the App Store of Google Play.”

“So that’s their edge,” thought Go, “It comes with an exclusive Daiso VR app!” Fascinated by wondering what kind of VR content Daiso could have worked up, he decided to buy into this high-stakes game of intrigue.

After taking the VR goggles back to the office and opening the box, Go found a pair of little cloths to wipe the smartphone screen, but no manual. He wasn’t sure how to access the Daiso app without any documentation but found himself quickly distracted by the headset itself.

It looked alright…

And had a comfy looking cushion to minimize chafing on Go’s delicate T-zone.

There were also some sliders on the reverse side of the inner goggle.

By manipulating those, he could fine-tune the position of the lenses. This would make the Daiso VR Goggle fit even that guy from The Goonies.

The phone carriage slides right out from the side and has some little spongy clamps to fit whatever size phone you’re using.

Sliding that sucker back in is also strangely satisfying.

It even had a little sliding door to let the camera look outside while wearing the goggles. This doesn’t seem to be useful for any currently available apps, but it doesn’t hurt either.

It even had holes for access to headphone or battery pack cables, situated for the jack positions of various devices.

All in all, it was a pretty well-thought-out design and probably worthy of a 1,000 yen price tag. So, it was beginning to look like Go got a pretty sweet deal, and he hadn’t even got to the included app yet.

Speaking of which… Where is that darn thing?

Maybe a url… A QR code or something…

Go: “…”

It was beginning to appear as though Go had been misled and the Daiso VR app only existed in his fantasy. In their defense Daiso never specifically mentioned they had an app, but the vague wording did give his overactive imagination license to run amok.

Nevertheless, he had come this far and one VR app was as good as another. So he went to the app store and searched “vr app free” with the intention of just picking whatever was at the top of the list.

It turned out to be a VR player by DMM, a popular website specializing in digital retail and on-demand video in particular. Go was already a member of this service and used it on his PSVR and Oculus at home.

At least this would make it easy for him to set up. All he had to do was login and his previous purchases would pop right up.

Ah, there we go… Uh-oh.

▼ “CENSORED”

Unfortunately, decency regulations prevent us from showing you any of Go’s previous downloads, nor do they allow us to mention most of their titles or even give a description of the depraved acts they depict.

Oh wait! Here’s one we can kind of show you…

▼ “VR Farts”

Go was not ashamed of his interest in watching women fart in 360 degrees. It’s a completely natural bodily function and we can learn a lot by studying each other’s flatulence in a safe environment.

The search for content was over, and Go got ready to jack into virtual reality…

Go: “…Uh-huh…”

Go: “Yes… I do believe the content of this video is… accurate…”

Of course, the farts weren’t as realistic as on a dedicated VR machine like the PSVR. There was some noticeable lagging and the focus wasn’t quite as clear, but it wasn’t so bad either.

Go: “Not bad…”

The Daiso VR Goggles had a lot of nice little features but their necessity really boils down to the user’s individual needs. For example, Go had little use for the camera access, but he really appreciated the head strap that left his hands free.

He probably would have enjoyed that feature a lot more had he not been in the office while viewing VR Farts and Bicycle Seat VR.

Go: “Hello there!”

In the end, this set doesn’t have any substantial flaws for what it is, and delivers a fairly good bang for the buck. Go would tell you that himself but he’s too busy being a bicycle seat.

On the other hand, first-time smartphone VR users would be better to start with one of the 100-yen cardboard offerings to get their feet wet and see if they like it. Fans of the genre could then decide if they want the added comforts of Daiso’s offering. It’s the only sensible way to enjoy VR farting on a budget.

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