Not hip enough to make it to Coachella this weekend or next? Worry not, you can virtually visit the festival with the help of Google’s VR180 initiative.
YouTube will be livestreaming the first of this year’s festivals, which takes place from April 13th – 15th (the second weekend from 20th – 22nd will not be streamed). Viewers will have the choice of four streams to follow certain stages so they can watch acts like Beyonce and The Weeknd from the comfort of their homes. Better yet, though, one of the channels will offer VR180 streaming.
For those that don’t know, VR180 is Google’s new initiative to make VR video more accessible and manageable for the masses. You don’t get a full 360 degrees to look around (as the name suggests, it only shoots in 180 degrees) but you will have an easier time streaming content in higher quality. It also means you can strap your phone into a Google Cardboard headset or the Daydream View (if your phone is Daydream-ready) and enjoy performances as if you were really there.
We don’t know which acts will be available in VR, but hopefully we’ll get to see the headline acts at the very least.
Currently companies like Lenovo are making VR180 cameras which will be slowly rolling out to customers over the course of the year. Google hopes the initiative will finally help VR video take off. Can Coachella play a hand in that?
