After Google has made lot of news with the Cardboard and related projects, Yahoo has made a move in this space and introduced a Flickr VR app for the Samsung Gear VR headset. With the kind of projects Google has been introducing for the Cardboard, Gear VR appeared to be more like a novelty. Marriott International introduced VR Postcards for its guests at some of its properties using Gear VR and there have been similar applications of the headset by travel brands but it couldn’t find much use beyond that.
Virtual reality is an amazing medium to share travel experiences and drive inspiration. With the introduction of Flickr VR app, Gear VR owners will be able to access a large number of 360 degree photos on Flickr. The image sharing platform has already got a large number of beautiful 360 degree images that can be viewed on desktop as well but the experience hardly matches that of viewing them in the headset.
Announcing this development, the blog post by Yahoo says, “Over the years, Flickr users have uploaded tens of thousands of 360° photos and today we’re offering a new way to explore and view these images. Flickr is the best platform for 360° photos because we respect the image quality of uploaded photos, and we want to be one of the best ways to access engaging virtual reality experiences.”
Earlier Google introduced support for the Google Cardboard viewer for YouTube and then also introduced Cardboard Camera so that more people create content for the VR viewer. Travel marketers can of course find lot of applications of VR technologies, especially in travel inspiration and this new additions will help with the adoption.
You can check out the Horseshoe Bend or Revontulikaari ja Linnunrata Käärmelahdesta to see what 360 photos on Flickr look like.
