Budget virtual reality headset gets a fun new feature
Google has unveiled a new photography app for Android, which allows you to take 360-degree, virtual reality photos with your phone.
The Cardboard Camera app can stitch together panoramic images, which are then recreated into 3D images so you can view them inside a Cardboard VR viewer to get that immersive feeling. It’s basically like Android’s Photo Sphere camera mode but without capturing the top and bottom of the image.
The app lets you “take beautiful panoramic photos with depth and sound you can see and hear in VR.” All you have to do is hold your phone and move around in a circle. The app does all of the rest. It even captures audio while you record your full-circle panoramas. So, you can hear the waves crashing as you’re re-living those pictures down at the beach.
But that’s not where the fun ends. The Cardboard Camera also works with Google Street View VR. So you can even add your own 3D locations to Google Maps for your viewing pleasure as well.
Currently, the app is only going to be available on Android, but here’s hoping there’s an iOS version on the way soon. Google Cardboard is compatible with iPhones, but it’s hardly surprising support for Apple’s smartphone is not ready yet and that Google hasn’t talked about its plans for an iOS-friendly version.
Essential reading: The best Google Cardboard VR apps
With VR set to take off in a big way next year with PlayStation VR, HTC Vive and the Oculus Rift, it’s clear Google still believes there’s plenty of life yet in its budget headset.