It's now incredibly easy to explore Google Street View in virtual reality
Google Street View just got a lot more immersive: Google has officially launched a virtual reality version of the wildly popular map app, and it's compatible with its DIY Google Cardboard Headset.
To access it, just update your app (either iOS or Android) to the most recent version, then navigate to your chosen location and hit the new Goggles button.
And voila! Immersive virtual reality.
Google Cardboard is Google's virtual reality headset. It's not as sophisticated as Oculus Rift or Samsung's Gear VR, but it is made of cardboard - making it super cheap and easy to set up. A kit can be ordered for a few pounds, or made yourself, and here's how it looks:
It's worth noting: There was a previously a basic virtual reality version of Google Street View available, but it was previously hidden away as an "Easter egg." This is an official release, with an activating button displayed prominently in the app.
Google also announced on Monday that its cardboard app is available in 100 countries and 39 different languages. The SDK used to develop apps for it has also got an overhaul.