Google is giving away Star Wars Cardboard headsets right now

Who says you need to be a Verizon customer to pick up a limited edition Star Wars: The Force Awakens Google Cardboard headset? Certainly not Google. If you’re in the United States and act fast — right now — you can pick any of the four versions and get it shipped to you directly from the Google Store. For free. And when I say “free,” I also mean free shipping. Just go to the Google Store, choose between BB-8, a Stormtrooper, Kylo Ren, or R2-D2, check out, and you’re done. There’s no telling how many units Google has reserved for this giveaway, so don’t hesitate. (It is cardboard though, you know? How hard could printing more be?)

The first batch showed immediate shipping dates, so those people should receive the Star Wars cardboard before The Force Awakens hits theaters. But now some of them are slipping to December 15th and later. Yes, this is very much all marketing — both for the movie and for the Google Store (Google is encouraging visitors to sign up for email reminders about promotions like this), but... it’s a free gateway to VR on your smartphone. Plus, Star Wars.

Update: These didn’t last very long at all. The Google Store now shows all four Cardboard headsets as sold out. Sorry if you missed ‘em. But keep trying! Some commenters are having luck simply by hammering the refresh button.