When it comes to the still-developing virtual reality ecosystem, Google’s Cardboard viewer fills the role of a fast food hamburger. It’s exceptionally cheap, and it gives a filling, basic sense of what VR is all about, but it’s unquestionably a low-quality product that can’t compete with the fine restaurant dining of its more expensive, PC- and console-tethered brethren.

To extend the same VR-as-food analogy, Google Daydream is like a decent meal at a moderately priced fast-casual restaurant. For a little more money, you get a distinct step up in quality from Google Cardboard’s fast-food-quality VR and a bit of much-needed flair through the clever handheld controller. But Daydream is still a far cry from the kind of metaphorical high-class meal you’d get from the top-end of the VR pyramid, and it’s a little lacking even compared to other mid-range VR solutions like Samsung’s Gear VR.

Google Felt

Like Google Cardboard before it, Daydream is simply a holster that uses a pair of lenses to transform the screen of a compatible cell phone into a virtual reality viewer. The Daydream unit itself has no electronic components; the visuals, processing, and angle detection needs for VR are all handled by the phone itself.