Google’s YouTube will launch a dedicated virtual reality app, the company announced May 19 during its developers conference.
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It took around a year for the Internet giant to make its video sharing platform more VR-friendly.
Speaking at Google I/O this week, Google’s vice-president of virtual reality, Clay Bavor, said: “We’ve rebuilt YouTube from the ground up for VR”. Watching videos on the Cardboard was, well, not the best thing in the world. YouTube say the app will feature “everything from classic 16×9 videos to 260-degree footage to cutting-edge VR experiences in full 3D”.
The launch of the YouTube VR app follows a number of developments in this area in the previous year, with the rollout of new video and audio formats on YouTube like 360-degree video, VR video and Spatial Audio.
VR videos aren’t as good as YouTube videos turned into VR, but the effect is still pretty good. However, with millions of users around the world hardly ever off YouTube, the company’s decision to go all-in with VR could certainly help persuade more people to try out the immersive platform, which in turn should motivate more content creators to get involved, thus helping to ensure the platform’s long-term success. “The analogy I use is it’s building an experience like we did for the living room”, he explains.
If you’d like to see that Shark video used as a demo piece, you can do that now as well.
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An early look at the YouTube VR app’s interface. YouTube VR hasn’t created anything like that yet, Wilms said. Parts of the website may not work as expected without them. This release will build on Google’s releases of new video and audio formats on YouTube for VR – both Spacial Audio and 360-degree video included. Additionally, YouTube’s LA and NYC studio spaces are now equipped with Jump gear, and creators can apply to book time there. However, one mission of the Daydream VR is to make sure users stay glued to the Daydream, another Engadget article reported. Tap on the button and your video is converted in to VR.
