That’s precisely why Google Cardboard is so cool. It’s an ambassador, a gateway to this mysterious world of virtual reality that a few folks keep talking about, but most of us haven’t experienced. And it’s packed into an approachable little package: light, cheap and goofy enough to be approachable. Download the Cardboard app or some of the many of the VR demos that are popping up on Google Play and Apple’s App Store, pop in a phone, and you’re ready to go. There’s no sweaty headband to wrangle and no cables tying you down. It’s light, cheap and works with the hardware you likely already own. You also aren’t getting anything remotely close to the experience you’ll have with proper virtual reality hardware. But conceptually, Google Cardboard is kind of perfect. Virtual reality, and all of its pitfalls and potential, is something that can’t truly impress ( or disappoint) until it’s been experienced firsthand.