Google Street View App Now Lets You Take a Virtual Reality Vacation
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THOMAS SAMSON/AFP/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — Jet setting on your lunch break just got even more realistic.
Using Google Cardboard, the simple virtual reality headset that can be ordered for a few dollars or made using a few household items, and the latest version of Google’s Street View app for iOS and Android, users can take a virtual vacation.
That means being transported anywhere — from a swanky Parisian street to Yosemite National Park. After opening Street View, type the destination of your choice, wait for it to populate and then choose the cardboard icon in the top right corner. Next, secure the phone in a Cardboard headset and enjoy a little virtual vacation.
The incredibly low-tech Cardboard was first announced last summer with the goal of helping to bring virtual reality to the masses. Starting this week, the Google Cardboard app is available in 39 languages and more than 100 countries, according to a blog post by the company. It has also translated its developer documents into 10 languages in an effort to encourage more people to create virtual reality experiences to share.
For those seeking something a little more traditional, Google has collaborated with Mattel to create a plastic, kid-friendly version of Google Cardboard. Priced at $29.99, the device costs a fraction of what fully equipped virtual reality headsets from Samsung and Oculus, among others, cost.
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