Toy of the Day: Mattel and Google Unveil Updated Virtual Reality View-Master

The View-Master back, and it’s been upgraded for the 21st century.

Google and Mattel have announced at the 2015 Toy Fair in New York, that they are teaming up to transform the toy you remember as a kid into a virtual reality experience.

The new device looks very similar to the original with it’s signature shape and lever, but instead of inserting paper discs, you insert your Android phone.

It is based on Google’s “Cardboard” platform and requires an app from Mattel to let you explore what they are calling 360 degree “photospheres.”

Now you can send your kids to Europe or… prison!

“Take a virtual field trip to Paris and sit in the shadows of the Eiffel Tower as it soars above you,” says Mattel. “Visit historic Alcatraz Island and interact with your surroundings to discover fun facts.”

The stereoscopic photo viewer was first introduced at the New York World’s Fair in 1939, and the new edition will be available this Fall for $30.