Mattel’s cardboard compatible headset, the retro View Master, launched in the US last week with three exciting reels of educational content. While the US launch is restricted to three retailers – Walmart, Target and Amazon, the headset will soon be headed to our shores, with Mattel Australia confirming the headset will be arriving in toy retailers next month.
If you’re not familiar, Mattel has repurposed the venerated View Master headset into a higher end version of Google’s Cardboard VR platform. The new View Master will let you mount your phone in the headset, then load ‘reels’ or software from Google Play containing virtual reality experiences. The headset is certified as part of the Google ‘Works with Cardboard’ program which should allow you to tune your experience with the software and hardware to give you a perfect VR experience.
In terms of availability, Mattel is looking to have the View-Master in Australian toy stores by November 23rd, just in time for the Christmas season. No pricing has been announced for the headset, which costs US$29 by itself or US$109 in a pack which includes all three reels as well as the View-Master headset. There are currently three titles: Wildlife, Destinations and Space available on Google Play where you can purchase the full content through In-App Purchase for $21.02, but the content can also be purchased as physical content in the form of reels, which will be familiar to anyone who played with an original View Master.
We’ll definitely be keen to try out the View Master when it launches in Australia and see how well the headset works.
View master? Wow I didn’t know Mattel was upgrading that almost half a century techno.
If it fits a full 6″ phone then I’m all in