Google Cardboard Camera app: What you need to know about ‘VR photos’

Google today released Cardboard Camera, a Google Cardboard-compatible app that let’s take 3D panoramic photos with your smartphone and then view them in a VR smartphone adapter. Simply launch the app, start shooting a photo and pan in a circular motion like you’re shooting a panorama image, and you’re set.

Got one of Google’s Cardboard VR headsets and an Android phone handy? Google is calling it a three-dimensional panorama, so things that are near look near, and things that are far look far.

Additionally, you’re not exactly creating a “sphere” of virtual reality when your take your photo. But Google beat them all to the punch with a folded up piece of cardboard and a few lenses that turns just about any smartphone into a VR headset. As if that wasn’t cool enough, Google has now given users Cardboard Camera. The app is said to take 3D images to add to the VR effect, and even allows for users to record sounds with the photo to help add to the atmosphere. It’s a new Android app capabale of capturing something called “VR photos”. “But what if you could also use Cardboard to go back in time-to step inside personal moments like your favorite vacation or a holiday dinner with family?” There are many apps that support Cardboard, such as Street View and YouTube. A number of example photos come pre-loaded with the app to give you the gist of the sort of spaces you might want to capture. Don’t worry, the app will tell you if you’re moving too fast.

Yes, it does. Here’s a list of all the Cardboard-certified viewers available.