Google Daydream News and Update: How will it compete with others?

Upcoming virtual-reality headsets based on Google's new Daydream VR system won't be as sophisticated as Facebook's Oculus Rift.

But they could give more people a taste of VR and make better games and applications affordable.On Wednesday, Google said it will develop a range of VR headsets that promise to be more comfortable and durable than its ultra-cheap Cardboard headset. Google will make one and share design guidelines with other manufacturers.

There will also be a wireless motion controller - functioning like a fishing rod, a steering wheel or a pointer - to permit more-sophisticated VR experiences.Sophisticated systems such as the Rift and the HTC Vive are expensive, limiting their appeal to gamers and other tech enthusiasts. Alternatively, cheaper VR headsets that tap the power of smartphones are typically tied to one manufacturer's phones, such as Samsung's or LG's.Daydream headsets will work with a range of phone brands. Gartner analyst Brian Blau says he believes the Daydream-powered devices could prove to be a "thorn in the side" of both Samsung and Oculus, which teamed up to make a similar VR headset, called Gear VR, late last year.

You'll need a higher-end phone running the upcoming "N'' version of Android. Existing phones won't have the right hardware, and cheaper "N'' phones won't either, so you might have to spend a few hundred dollars more for a top-of-the-line model.Google says at least eight manufacturers, including Samsung, HTC, and Huawei, will make compatible phones this fall. It's a matter of adding sensors and good-enough screens, among other things.