Google's incredibly affordable virtual reality headset, the Google Cardboard, will now be able to support the Street View service. Using Street View with the Google Cardboard is applicable for both Android and iOS devices and with the new Cardboard v2, even larger phones such as the iPhone 6s Plus can be attached to use this feature.
BBC News reported that IHS analyst Piers Harding-Rolls claimed that pairing the Google Cardboard with Street View was a natural fit. This is mostly due to the fact that the Street View service already offers 360-degree videos, essentially making it suitable for the virtual reality headset with little tinkering required.
However, Street View will not be true virtual reality since the images are not in 3D, but because of the 360 degree videos, this can be circumvented as it still gives users a new way of exploring places around the world.
As stated in a report from Yahoo!, utilizing Google Cardboard with the Street View service will allow people to immerse themselves as they explore other areas in the world. Not only would this be beneficial to people who want to see the rest of the world in the comfort of their own homes but it will also play a part in the VR Expeditions initiative,
The VR Expeditions is an educational program that will allow teachers and students to go on virtual reality fieldtrips, even under water trips, simply using the Cardboard and a smart phone. Google's latest blog post stated that the company is working on bringing the service to more schools around the world.
On the same blog, Google announced that the Cardboard app is now available in over 100 countries and in 39 languages for both iOS and Android devices. The post also states that the app has been installed over 15 million times from the Google Play store, although no statistics regarding iOS downloads have been listed.
