Google continues to add new bells and whistles to YouTube’s arsenal. They’ve been paving the way for 4K 60fps videos over the past half year, and earlier this month they added extra support for 360-degree video, otherwise known as virtual freakin’ reality video! Now the first music video to take advantage of the new Youtube feature is here: Noa Neal’s ‘Graffiti.’
Chrome desktop users can drag their mouse around the video as it plays to look around the environment, similar to how you use Google Street View. The parade style video makes good use of the tech as viewers are virtually seated on the back of a moving truck with the band as dancers, cars and singer Noa Neal careen through the environment.
The real magic happens when you watch the video through the YouTube app on your phone – if your phone has gyroscopes (and most do nowadays), simply moving your screen pans the display through the virtual set. And users with Oculus Rift or Google Cardboard can watch the video in full VR mode using the Kolor Eyes app, which comes loaded with dozens of 360 degree videos.
It’s another small step towards the inevitable virtual reality revolution, one that is looking more and more like it will occur on your mobile phone as much as it will using bulky computer-controlled headsets. If you haven’t already dropped the ten bucks to buy a cheap cardboard HMD (head mount display), now might be the time to consider it. More cool stuff is coming out for them by the day.
[Youtube]
