Google plans to release in the fall a version of its YouTube app designed for virtual reality, allowing you to strap on a head-mounted display to view both conventional clips and 360-degree videos that let you swivel your head around for a more immersive experience.
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Counting on virtual reality being the next big thing, Google this week unveiled a veritable box of very real delights at its annual I/O developer bash in Silicon Valley. This update gives iPhone users the ability to watch YouTube videos in VR mode through the Cardboard.
If you want to see what this type of VR content looks likes, check out Google’s Chinese New Year lantern experience and “Discovering Gale Crater” from the Los Angeles Times.
It’ll also be making its catalogue of regular videos available to watch through Daydream through 360-degree and 3D video imaging technology.
Bringing web-based VR to the masses has many challenges, and first and foremost is how to equip browsers for content. Getting browsers to interact with VR headsets is challenging, even given the current 3D model rendering capabilities of WebGL. The reason for this is the fact that the videos there were shot in 360 degrees, therefore providing a better VR experience.
While YouTube already has limited support for VR videos, the new YouTube VR app will also offer an immersive interface for searching and browsing.
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To that end, Google says it’s working with creators to help them get their hands on VR-capable rigs like the GoPro Odyssey, not to mention Google’s own Jump Assembler software for stitching together VR footage. The broader commitment by YouTube, the most popular online video site in the world, potentially spurs its millions of viewers to try out VR headsets just as artists begin to experiment with the new medium.
