In my day, the View-Master was powered by moving your index finger. So… pretty similar to your phone, actually.
The toy that once let you look at 3D images on a cardboard reel is fittingly being resurrected by the power of cardboard. Google Cardboard has been kicking around for a little while and making all the other, expensive VR headsets feel bad about themselves, and Mattel announced today at NYC World Toy Fair that they’re getting in on the action with a 21st century version of the View-Master.
Users will be able to buy and download special “experience reels” through a View-Master app on smartphones, which they can then slide into the relatively inexpensive ($29.99) View-Master “hardware” to explore 3D virtual worlds using the phone as the screen.
So far, it doesn’t look like there’s any difference between the View-Master and other pre-made Cardboard solutions, but the price is comparatively pretty fair for a nostalgic version that looks like more than just a cardboard box. Mattel also reportedly promised that consumers could purchase their experience reels ($14.99 for a 3-pack) with confidence that they’ll be family-friendly, which is not often a guarantee when downloading things from the Internet.
The View-Master was also specifically designed to protect the phone inside, unlike most Cardboard VR solutions that are meant to be used by grown-ass adults and can’t withstand the uncontrollable force of nature that is your toddler. Mattel is shooting for an October release, so you’ll be able to get one just in time for the holidays—for your kid or someone else’s, of course, and not for yourself to recapture your personal sense of childlike wonder. Obviously.
(via Tech Crunch, image via Mattel)
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