Flickr has revealed its plans to bring virtual reality support to its social photography platform. With a VR headset on, users will be able to view 360-degree panoramic photos uploaded to Flickr through a link or button on the website.
Currently in development, VR support on Flickr will make it possible for users with a headset to scroll through a slideshow by looking downward at an icon that triggers the next photo to load.
Essential reading: Best smartphone headsets for VR apps
The new feature was on display at this year's XOX Fest, where attendees could strap on an Oculus DK 2 hooked up to a PC. The company hopes to add support for additional VR devices like Gear VR soon.
There is already a fairly large community of 360-degree panorama picture takers on Flickr. The group uploads images that are stitched together using some program like Google's photosphere stitching feature. Flickr hopes to eventually provide a section for exploring public 360-degree images.
It is not unlike YouTube's 360-degree video channel, where users can stream clips to their Google Cardboard or other smartphone-connected VR headsets.
Additionally, Flickr has plans to eventually make it possible for users to browse their photo library and organize images into albums by waving a hand. Of course, that is still a ways off.
Basic VR support on Flickr may be available as soon as early 2016.
Source Engadget
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