Google is letting iOS developers write software using its Cardboard virtual-reality experience.
At $15.00, Cardboard is one of the cheapest ways to experience VR, but without a dedicated SDK for iOS, iPhone users have been left out of the action. Google is changing that now by giving developers the tools to create iOS apps that offer 360-degree goodness.
Google is also making it much easier to embed that content into websites and apps on all platforms.
Today’s virtual-reality content is mostly accessed only by those who are actively looking for it. If virtual reality is going to change that, it will need to strap goggles on people’s faces and make it easy for people to place themselves inside 360-degree environments.
Google’s VR View will help do just that.
VR View is a tool that helps developers embed 360-degree photos and video in places where people are already going. Google says it only takes a few lines of code added to the current Cardboard software development kits to start embedding. It will be available for websites on desktop and mobile as well as applications on devices running Android and iOS.
The content can be viewed using either Google’s Cardboard or Magic Window. Magic Window does not require any special equipment, and you can try it out now on your smartphone by watching any 360-degree video on Youtube.
Letting iOS developers create Cardboard content and building a tool that streamlines the process of embedding that content are two significant steps toward expanding virtual reality’s horizons. It shouldn’t be long before you no longer have to go to virtual reality, with it instead coming to you.
A guide to VR Views can be found on Google’s website, while the embedding code is open source and can be found on Github.
H/T TechCrunch | Photo via othree/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)