Google Chrome adds virtual reality support for Daydream View headset

Surfing the web just got a lot more exciting for Daydream View owners. Google has updated its web browser to support virtual reality (VR), meaning you can now explore a range of VR experiences on Chrome using your Android smartphone and Google's Daydream VR headset.

Provided you have a Daydream-ready phone like the Google Pixel, Moto Z or Huawei Mate 9 Pro you'll be able to check out a variety of VR experiences available online using Daydream View. To do so, all you have to do is navigate to the site on your smartphone, load up what you want to watch and plonk it into the headset.

If you don't have a headset you can still view VR content on any smartphone or desktop computer and look around using your finger or mouse. Needless to say, this way is a lot less fun.

Daydreamers have a few VR experiences to choose from. More than two dozen films from VR studio Within can now be accessed via Chrome for Android and watched using Daydream View, as can over 300,000 virtual tours of celebrity homes, museums and landmarks on Matterport.

You can also play around in the WebVR lab from Playcanvas, which lets you throw blocks, play records and shoot confetti all over a VR playroom using Google's Daydream headset and motion controller. Meanwhile, Sketchfab lets you check out user-generated 3D designs from millions of artists, including anime and video game characters, 3D environments and famous works of art.

While the list is somewhat limited for now, it's likely to grow in time as more developers get on board the Daydream boat. Google project manager Megan Lindsay said that VR support for Chrome would expanded to other virtual reality headsets in the coming months, including Google Cardboard.

"Virtual reality lets you tour the Turkish palace featured in Die Another Day, learn about life in a Syrian refugee camp first-hand, and walk through your dream home right from your living room," Lindsay said.

"With the latest version of Chrome, we're bringing VR to the web – making it as easy to step inside Air Force One as it is to access your favourite webpage.