In this blog post, we will introduce easy and fun ways to experience virtual reality, from Google Cardboard, which you can enjoy for only $4, to the latest VR technology trends.
Virtual Reality (VR). It is a somewhat contradictory combination of the words “virtual,” meaning “fake,” and “reality.” So what exactly is virtual reality? Simply put, it is a technology that makes you feel as if something that does not actually exist is right in front of you. For example, with virtual reality technology, you can sit in your living room and see the magnificent view of the Palace of Versailles in France spread out before your eyes. You can dive into the deep sea to see sharks or fly through the sky to enjoy natural landscapes around the world. These experiences are revolutionary in that they allow you to directly experience adventures that were previously only possible through books or movies.
Virtual reality was once considered a symbol of expensive, cutting-edge technology, but Google has come up with a way to enjoy VR for only $4. It’s called Google Cardboard. It’s a simple structure made of cardboard and fisheye lenses, but when combined with a smartphone, it transforms into a great VR device. The core principle of Cardboard is to manipulate the field of view. For example, when the user turns their head to the left, the scenery on the screen should naturally follow in that direction. The reason why high-end VR devices such as Oculus Rift and Meta Quest are so expensive is precisely because of this sophisticated field of view technology. Google utilized smartphones that people already own to replace these expensive displays. VR images are displayed on the smartphone screen, and the fisheye lens mounted on Cardboard distorts them to make them look real. When the user moves their head, the gyroscope sensor built into the smartphone responds, and the view on the screen moves with it. Thanks to the cardboard material, production costs were low and assembly was simple, and Google released the design and manufacturing methods for Cardboard as open source so that anyone could make it. As a result, an era in which anyone could experience VR for only $4 had begun.
After the release of Cardboard, Google improved its functionality and released Cardboard 2 in 2015. However, they soon realized that simply distributing the device was not enough. The real value of virtual reality lay in its content. At the time, there were only about 100 Cardboard-exclusive apps available on Google Play Store, so there was a severe lack of content. To solve this problem, Google partnered with GoPro, a company specializing in action cameras, and developed technology to automatically convert 360-degree camera footage into VR content. This made it possible to watch VR videos on YouTube, and content expanded into various fields such as travel, games, and performances.
Virtual reality is no longer limited to entertainment. It is being incorporated into various industries such as education, medicine, psychotherapy, architecture, and sports. Students can leave the classroom and visit historical sites, surgeons can practice surgery in a virtual environment, and psychotherapists can use virtual reality to treat patients’ fears. In the field of architecture, buildings can be experienced and modified before completion, and in the real estate field, virtual tours allow people to view houses without visiting the site. VR is also being used in sports to train in environments similar to actual games. This expandability shows that virtual reality is not just a fad, but a sustainable technology for the future.
As of 2025, the VR market has developed into a structure where the trend toward popularization that began with Google Cardboard coexists with competition between high-end VR and MR devices such as Meta and Apple. Meta Quest 3 has established itself as the standard for wireless all-in-one VR devices, and Apple Vision Pro allows users to freely move between reality and virtual reality through its mixed reality (MR) capabilities. It is also widely used in education, remote work, and design collaboration. Although Google Cardboard officially discontinued sales in 2021, its philosophy that “everyone should be able to easily experience VR” continues to live on in education. Currently, web-based VR platforms and low-cost standalone headsets are filling that role.
Virtual reality technology has now gone beyond “technology that makes things feel real even though they are not real” and has established itself as a technology that expands the limits of reality. Google Cardboard introduced VR to the public with simple cardboard and lenses, which became a historic opportunity to lower the barrier to entry for VR. Although much more sophisticated and advanced devices are now available, the spirit of “everyone should be able to experience virtual reality” remains valid. In the future, virtual reality will become more deeply ingrained in education, healthcare, industry, and culture, and its benefits will be enjoyed by more and more people. And we must not forget that it all started with an infinite world that unfolded from a cardboard box.
