When Google senior vice president Sundar Pichai revealed Cardboard VR at Google I/O, many thought it was a joke; but it looks like the search giant wants developers to actively work on the platform.

Google has launched an SDK for Android and Unity, allowing developers to create apps and games for Cardboard. Android phones are placed inside Cardboard VR, similar to Samsung's Gear VR.

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There are already 24 apps available on the Cardboard apps store, and 19 are free. Google has confirmed more than 500,000 Cardboard sales in the past half a year, not surprising considering the $14.99/$24.99 price.

Google is interested in a variety of virtual reality apps and experiences, including "test drives to live concerts to fully-immersive games." There is plenty of potential in the market to be explored.

Cardboard uses cheap materials (mainly cardboard) to create a similar VR experience as the Oculus Rift or Gear VR, while still maintaining a cheap price. The easy design allows third parties to make Cardboard with new features in-built.

Users with the right amount of equipment can also make their own Cardboard VR, allowing full open source for virtual reality fans.

Oculus is still surging ahead of the virtual reality race, but has its focus firmly on games and experiences. Reports say Microsoft and Valve are both working on gaming centric VR headsets in the future, while Samsung and Google work on experiences and apps.

Even though Cardboard VR offers a look at some virtual reality apps, it is not the same quality as Oculus VR. The build quality and lack of sensors makes it a poor choice, if the user want to actively engage in the best apps available.

TagsGoogle I/O, Cardboard VR, Virtual Reality