Video immersion and virtual reality (VR) technology has hit the consumer market with the likes of Samsung’s Gear VR, Oculus’s Rift and the most affordable entry-level one being the Google Cardboard. Users would prefer to be in the places they’re watching on their screens and this coincides with Google’s foray into Street View and 360 degree videos on YouTube. But now, they’ve added full support for Cardboard on all videos listed on their streaming site – even if they weren’t filmed using a 360-degree camera.
No matter the occasion or location, the new YouTube app hands you two useful features; the first (isn’t all that new) lets you select the Cardboard icon once in full-screen mode in existing content that has 360-degree views. While the camera equipment to get a shot like this running will cost a bomb, so there isn’t much readily available videos just yet.
The second add-on is where things get a little more interesting. So if you’ve noticed on your Android device that there’s a symbol in the settings that you’ve never seen before, give it a go. It’ll theoretically allow you to view any video in Cardboard view – no, it won’t magically make viewable in 360-degree but if you want a cinematic experience, why not?
If you aren’t familiar with the Cardboard UI, it halves the screen, shrinks the video and mirrors it on the two sides. The screen stays in place in the “virtual” world, so it’ll depend on your smartphone’s gyroscope to centre your viewing.
In any case that you can’t find this option on your Android device, check if your YouTube is up-to-date and if it still doesn’t work, look up the Cardboard app on the Play Store; if it says your device isn’t compatible (apparently it doesn’t run on our Sony Xperia M5 Dual).
Here’s some content for folks with a VR headset: Hunger Games Experience, TOMS Shoes Giving Trip, Performance by Violinist Tim Fain and an Icelandic glacier expedition.
Check out our review of the Samsung Gear VR here to check out a higher-end experience.
