Better late than never, we say. Following series of promising, advertising, and making announcements, YouTube app is finally rolling its tracks on Oculus Go. The launch, albeit a little late, marks a cornerstone for video service. YouTube VR Oculus Go app release means that all major Virtual Reality headset now support YT VR videos.
Until Oculus Quest makes a debut, the Facebook’s line of standalone headsets starts and ends with Oculus Go. It is by all accounts a nice, affordable device capable of more than meets the pixels. Quite oblivious to the reason, many were left puzzled why YouTube support was lacking for a while. More to the point, why, given that Oculus Go shares the same software as Samsung Gear VR, didn’t it get YouTube app in summer alongside Gear VR? Nevertheless, YouTube VR Oculus Go app is here, and with it some new features that video service has to offer.
Not only is Oculus Go getting access to the largest online VR video library, but is also an adopter of YouTube’s new and improved user experience. Speaking of new YT goodies is Erin Teague, YouTube’s senior product manager: ‘VR videos unlock a world of experience’. ‘With new and easier ways to create and watch VR content, we look forward to seeing what stories you tell, locations you transport viewers to and experiences you uncover’.
Poetics aside, the words don’t reveal much. What is Teague in fact talking about is the new VR180 creator app from YouTube. The idea behind it is to redefine and simplify ways to create 180 videos. Windows-bound, the creator tool is now capable of converting the 180-degree video footage into standard video formats, making them prone to easy edits and metadata tweaks. YouTube is also improving on the audio front; video service can now run ‘headlocked’ audio content. In practice, this means that instead of a spatial, 360 YT VR audio, the edited sound can be locked regardless of where your head is pointing. Audio headlock, as it were, ‘means that you can add narration and background music that will sound the same no matter where you look’, Teague explains.
Back to Go now. Including the features described above, YouTube VR Oculus Go app features the social side of YouTube. Multiple Go wearers can easily watch the same video no problem. This is particularly important for the likes of Oculus Go, given the chunk of market it shouldered for itself. You see, Facebook initially planned Oculus Go for gaming, but it quickly positioned itself as an entertainment headset. Now that Oculus Quest is on the horizon, Go is definitely Facebook’s No1 option for VR home media consumption. We are talking TV and movies mostly, coinciding nicely with Oculus TV plans.
The latter is still in experimental phase, but we can see the pairing with Oculus Go to be one of the most worth-your-buck VR combos in the foreseeable future. Even without the TV option, YouTube VR Oculus Go is reason enough to stick to your headset. Or not having it, consider grabbing one, or maybe even two. They’re still $199, you know.
