Google Cardboard & Immersive 360° Videos

It's a given that a lot of new ways to enjoy video have been popping out, and one in particular has caught us all in the net: 360° videos. It started with Google's Cardboard, which is a basic strap-on device that allows you to move your head around and see everything that that virtual world had to offer.


I bought mine online around a year ago for an incredibly low price, and I still use it to this day. After the fun of putting the whole thing together (the version (1?) I got wasn't ready-to-wear), the actual experience began. Back then (August 2015 or so), there weren't a lot of great apps and videos to try the Cardboard on, and some just made me straight-up nauseous. I lost interest a few weeks later and stored it on one of the shelves home. 

I got my kit looking exactly like this one. They came folded with the lenses packed into two separate plastics, along with instructions on putting them together. It was an easy process.

It was only within this year that Virtual Reality (VR) and 360° videos started to go uphill. It became the talk of the tech industry, and for the first time, more people began exposing themselves to this form of art. 

Realizing I had given my Cardboard enough time to rest, I picked it up a month ago and got back into the game - literally. There were now more videos, more apps, and more games to immerse yourself into, and my excitement came back. Some still sucked, some made me dizzy, but there were select few that, when paired with some great headphones, made for an incredible experience. Here are a few Youtube 360° videos that I found entertaining.

Note: The 360 experience can only be activated on mobile via the Youtube App. This won't work on your browser (and it will take the experience away).


Shadows Lurking From Within

The best VR experience is one that induces horror, and this one is best played in a dark room with headphones on. It'll help if you're alone at home too, haha. 



Open Blue 360 Experience (Teaser)

For someone who grew up knowing how to swim and being at the beach most of the time, the ocean terrifies me. It's my Xenophobia kicking in, and thanks to VR, I can swim with the sharks, whales, and eels however often I want, without endangering myself.



Clash of Clans 360: Experience A Virtual Reality Raid

If you've played Clash of Clans, I'm sure you'll find this one fun (and even if you haven't, you sure would, too). A First-Person perspective from the Archer's Tower, you'll see all the action.



There are heaps more 360° videos out on Youtube to be explored, so gear up (either buy the Google Cardboard to experience VR at a reasonably cheap price or invest on a higher-end model) and be ready for an incredible ride.

I'm honestly just waiting for VR to get into the 'online classes' area. Now that would be interactive, first-person learning.

19 comments

  1. My collegue bought one in december and it was fun to try the google cardboard! I loved the videos and games. I saw a video of a roller coaster, that was fun! When you bought a year ago, you must have been one of the first ones to buy one. Nice to read you picked it up again and now like it. Love to see your tips. My sister bought one last week. I'll try the video on her cardboard!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Awesome! There are tons of videos that will really get you into 360 videos more. Yeah, the Cardboard had just been released when I got it, since it wasn't as pricey as the Occulus.

      Delete
  2. I haven't tried VR before, but this is becoming more and more popular nowadays. Even FB now has 360 videos, it's amazing. So, who knows, I might be able get one for myself in the future. hehe.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hehe, yep, you said it! Excited for whatever this new type of video will produce in the future.

      Delete
  3. Not sure if I am ready for this but I know eventually I will get into this as well. :) Looking forward to having this experience soon.

    ReplyDelete
  4. My brother has a VR cardboard and a few months ago I tried it on while watching a roller coaster video. It was really fun. I've also watched youtube videos of Oculus Rift, if you're familiar with that one. Seeing people play horror games or be in a terrifying environment is scary to watch. All in all I think it's great that game and visual entertainment is reaching new horizons.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ah, the Oculus, haha. The reason I got the Cardboard was because it was cheaper than the Oculus, but I've always wanted the latter since it came out early last year (I think).

      Delete
  5. I haven't tried the google cardboard yet but was able to try the samsung vr. Of course since it is a gadget the samsung vr is better but comes with a price, this one I think is cheaper, more affordable and is not picky when it comes to devices.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I honestly didn't know about this carboard ! I'm so excited about the VR and so thrill to try it ! I had something "similar" when I was super young that you'd put in front your eyes, but was of course badly done and with the graphisms from back then, it was just mashed pixels. I seriously can't wait to try the VR but honestly $800 for the Steam one (HTC Vive) it's SO expensive. I'm interesting about the Morpheus one, but only for PS4 :( I just can't wait for them to make the VR available for middle classes ! Now we gonna get those first touch with Occulus, Morpheus, HTC Vive but soon enough there will be bunch of new brands and stuff and price will go seriously down. Until now I'll find myself one of those cardboard and check those videos !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes! The price tag for high-end VRs are off the charts! I hope they produce consumer-class versions soon, so we can all finally have a go at the Oculus (and others). I'm sure once competition gets steeper, at least one of the current players in the industry will have to lower their prices or produce something cheaper, much like what Apple did when they released the SE, haha.

      Delete
  7. never thought that you can buy something like this. Im fond of vr goggles as well. Might as well try this

    ReplyDelete
  8. VR makes me dizzy, thanks to my poor eyesight haha but I still find it fun. I don't think I'll try Shadows Lurking From Within though. I have a very imaginative mind and the this will linger in my brain for days hahaha

    ReplyDelete
  9. I remembered one of our discussions during my Online Journalism class last semester. Looking through Google's Cardboard in 360° was a new and unique experience. However, after seeing the photo (video) then (we saw the photo of the man in the moon I think), it was like "ok that's it." But recently, all these videos are making the 360° experience more interactive.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Cool! I love this bunk style. :) Great to hear that it seems that it can last long. :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wow! Cant wait to try these! I was also thinking about buying some hehe.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Lloyd actually won an I AM CARDBOARD PH for virtual reality, so I was able to try it. I agree with you that, depending on the video, it can be an awesome or a dizzy experience. The VR experiences you've shared are actually pretty interesting. I may try it soon in Lloyd's Google cardboard. Thank you for sharing. -Me-An Clemente of yogoandcream.com

    ReplyDelete
  13. I'm wondering if this was a toy when I saw it on FB. Turns out this will improve my gaming experience.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Where did you get your cardboard headset? I am currently scanning the interwebs for an affordable VR headset! Haha. My first experience with VR is a the samsung booth and I was completely awestruck by this kind of technology :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey! Bought it from Aliexpress :) Hehehe. Samsung's VR is really good too, but since I can't afford that right now, I'm happily settled into my Cardboard. :)

      Delete