McDonald's 'Happy Goggles' bringing cheap VR, and fries, to Swedish kids

Fast food giant McDonald's is redefining what the phrase 'entry-level virtual reality' means with Happy Goggles - a new VR viewer that's literally served with fries. 

Currently entering a trial phase in Sweden, the Happy Goggles promotion lets customers turn specially designed Happy Meal boxes into virtual reality viewers. 

The unique boxes, featuring removable eye and nose holes, and a lens slot, will be made available at 14 restaurants over the weekends starting March 5 and March 12. 

Adweek is reporting that around 3,500 of the viewers will be up for grabs, and will set customers back the princely sum of $4.10. 

The goggles are being released alongside a VR skiing game called Slope Starts, which will launch on March 4.

Although only a trial promotion at this point, McDonald's has suggested its Happy Goggles could be made available in other countries if all goes to plan. 

Swedish psychologists Karl Eder and Fadi Lahdo say the Happy Goggles will help familiarize consumers, young and old, with the concept of VR by "creating an opportunity for adults to learn from the children’s knowledge and experience." 

Of course, McDonald's isn't the first company to offer an affordable, biodegradable VR experience, and just over 19 months ago search engine behemoth Google launched its own cheap VR viewer, Google Cardboard. 

Since then over 5 million Google Cardboard viewers have been shipped, proving there's an appetite for cheap and cheerful VR experiences that offer a small glimpse of a larger world. 

It's not just consumers who saw the appeal of Google's cheap viewer, either, with our recent GDC State of the Industry survey revealing developers still view Cardboard as one of the best VR platforms to create for.