Last year, Google introduced Earth Virtual Reality (VR), a groundbreaking tool that allowed users to explore the earth and space from the comfort of their homes. "Whether you want to stroll along the canals of Venice, stand at the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, or soar through the sky faster than a speeding bullet," writes Google Earth VR product manager Joanna Kim in a company blog post. "There’s no shortage of things to do or ways to explore."
Already a valuable urban planning resource, last week, the company announced that it has added Google's existing Street View technology—a familiar feature to Google Map–users that provides panoramic, 360-degree views from certain spots along the majority of streets around the world—to Google VR. According to the company, this new update gives users access to streets from 85 countries. With the help of Street View, not only can participants walk down the streets of far away places, but can also incorporate the technology into a variety of projects including urban planning and revitalization scenarios.
The updated version of Earth VR is now available for virtual reality headset devices HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. For those who do not own one of these two devices, Google suggests downloading its Street View app for Daydream and Cardboard. Read more here.
