Lisa Martinez Gilpin, global head of news and publishing at Google Play, broke down the attributes of both virtual reality and augmented reality at the VR 20/20 opening session, and spelled out the roles both will play in the media going forward.

Augmented reality (AR) offers the user a “push and pull kind of dynamic,” she said, whereas virtual reality (VR) is more immersive.

Martinez Gilpin detailed Google’s history in VR, including 2014's Google Cardboard viewer, which she described as “simple with a lot of meaning.” She said a New York Times partnership a year later delivered more than 1 million Cardboard viewers to Times subscribers.

“Talk about coming into a really personal space,” she said. “We’re right there at your front door.”

Next was Daydream, offering a more breathable material than Cardboard. “There’s lots of great content to snack on,” said Martinez Gilpin, “as well as episodic content.”

VR 20/20 is happening Monday (Oct. 16) at the Stewart Hotel in Manhattan as the kick-off event of NYC Television Week.

Read More: Complete Coverage of VR 20/20

Martinez Gilpin said VR has a significant role in realms as varied as news and commerce. She spoke of “educating journalists to user VR cameras to tell their stories.”

Martinez Gilpin talked of ARCore, a platform for augmented reality apps. She described AR’s role in helping a consumer virtually try on clothing, or see how a coffee table fits in a family room, or check out a new car in different colors.

Read More: Complete Coverage of #NYCTVWK

Google’s Visual Positioning Service (VPS) can offer on-the-go consumers a look at a store’s layout before they visit. “It’s a great way to think about user flow,” she said, “and where products sit in store.”

VR, and AR, are part of the present, Martinez Gilpin suggested, not the future. “What used to take months now takes hours from a production standpoint,” she said. “It’s a lot more seamless and frictionless.”

NextVR, a startup that focuses on live sports and entertainment, said it has expanded to Daydream, Google’s new virtual reality platform that is powered by select Android smartphones.

NextVR, which also supports the Samsung Gear VR and expects to add more platform to the mix later this year, also announced that it is also offering on-demand games and highlights from the NBA in VR internationally (excluding China).

RELATED: Virtual Reality Tackles College Football

That builds on a multiyear partnership between NBA and NextVR in which NextVR has been broadcasting one live NBA game per week along with on-demand content to U.S. consumers.

RELATED: Fox Sports, NextVR Strike Five-Year Pact

New on-demand VOD features from the NBA and NextVR include “Best Dunks” and “Best Plays.”

Last year, NextVR raised an $80 million Series B round that is being used to fund global expansion efforts.

Taking a bigger step into the world of virtual reality, Google introduced the Daydream View VR headset and controller, a pairing that will go on sale in November for $79.

Powered by Android, Daydream View must be paired with a compatible smartphone. Google’s new Pixel smartphone, also announced Tuesday, is the first announced Daydream-ready smartphone. 

RELATED: Google's VR 'Daydream' Nearing Reality

Daydream View, introduced Tuesday amid a flurry of hardware/software product announcements from Google, will be competing in the sector against other mobile-based VR platforms such as Samsung’s Oculus-powered Gear VR. Google announced the Daydream VR initiative in May.

Clay Bavor, who heads Google’s VR team, said Daydream will be underpinned by an integrated content ecosystem and a headset that is focused on comfort.

Notably, the Daydream View is crafted out of soft microfibers and other materials that are found in clothing and athletic wear, he said, claiming that the new headset will be 30% lighter than similar devices and fit over a person’s eyeglasses.  The Daydream View is initially offered in Slate, with Snow and Crimson versions coming later.

The Daydream View controller features a clickable touchpad and two buttons, and is outfitted with sensors designed to respond as the user swipes and aims.

On the content end, Daydream View will be booting up with some exclusive fare, including a VR experience from Warner Bros. based on J.K. Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

Adrienne McCallister, director of partnerships for Daydream, said more than 50 partners are on board to bring apps and games to the platform before the end of the year, with “hundreds” more on the way. HBO, Netflix and Hulu are among the initial announced content partners for Daydream.

Google will also integrate some of its own apps and services for Daydream, including Google Play Movies, Google Photos, Google Street View and YouTube.

Pixel, the first Daydream-ready smartphone, is also the first smartphone to build-in Google Assistant, the company’s voice-based AI platform.

Pixel, which features a 12.3 megapixel camera, HDR+ and a video stabilization component, starts at $649 or $27 per month, with preorders starting today, with Verizon on board with the U.S. exclusive.  Consumers can also buy an unlocked Pixel at the Google Store.

Watch this promo video about Daydream View: 

Google’s set to launch a bunch of new products and reveal more details on other products that have already been announced at the company’s big to-do on Tuesday (Oct. 4).

According to multiple reports, many of the details have already leaked.

In addition to a new line of Pixel-branded smartphones that will replace its current Nexus lineup, Google’s expected to announce more info about Google Home, its voice-powered answer to Amazon’s Alexa smart home platform. Per TechCrunch, Google will put a $129 price tag on Google Home.

Also expected is a 4K upgrade to the Chromecast streaming adapter with a reported price of $69, about double the cost of the current-gen Chromecast introduced about a year ago. The image above is  purported to be the new Chromecast. 

Google announced Daydream VR, its Android-based mobile virtual reality platform, in May, and is reportedly set to announce shed light on more detail, including the first Daydream headset and controller. Bloomberg said earlier that Google’s been lining up talent and apps partners in preparation for the debut.

Google’s also said to be teeing up a new whole-home WiFi platform that relies on multiple access points and a mesh-based system. 

RELATED: Frontier, AirTies Make Home WiFi Connection

While these products/systems have been making inroads at retail, they are also becoming an increasingly important product for cable operators and other broadband service providers. 

UPDATE: The leaks were very accurate. See our coverage of the event here and here. 

Google used its I/O developer conference Wednesday to unveil Daydream, an Android-powered virtual reality platform that represents a big leap beyond its initial work around its Cardboard viewer.

Daydream is being built on top of Android N, a new, higher-performing version of the operating system.

“Together with Android manufacturers, we're working on upcoming phones, and sharing designs with them for a VR viewer and controller that will be really immersive, comfortable and intuitive to use,” Google said. “Your favorite apps and games will be coming to Daydream too, including Google's—like YouTube, Street View, Play Movies, Google Photos and the Play Store. More to come this fall.”

Like the Oculus-powered Samsung Gear VR (and even the entry-level Cardboard viewer), Daydream will require VR users to pair viewers with compatible smartphones.

In addition to providing a reference design for viewers and controllers, Google is also working on its own mobile VR headset that will debut this fall, Variety reported.

Hulu announced that it will be among the first publishers committed to making its VR app available on Daydream. Hulu introduced its VR app for the Gear VR in March.

Ubisoft, Netflix, and Electronic Arts will also develop apps for Daydream, which will be supported by several smartphone makers, including Samsung, HTC, LG Electronics, Xiaomi, Huawei, ZTE, and Asus, according to The Verge.  Google’s own services, like YouTube, Street View, Play Movies, Google Photos and the Play Store will also be optimized for Daydream.

Google’s new mobile VR platform will be entering the fray alongside high-end platforms such as the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, as well as Sony PlayStation VR, which is slated for an October 2016 launch.

The Wall Street Journal reported in February that Google was working on a successor to Cardboard and that the company was also working on a higher-end, self-contained VR platform.

At I/O, Google also announced a voice-activated smart home product, called Google Home, that will compete against products such as Amazon’s Echo. Google said it will release that product later this year.

The company also previewed Android Wear 2.0, an OS that will feature a revamped user experience and support standalone apps.