There used to be a time when you could impress your family by loading up Google Maps, finding a childhood memory, and zooming in until it became a sort of pixellated memory lane. Your mum and dad would be amazed, and you would be lauded because you showed them their old shed view
There used to be a time when you could impress your family by loading up Google Maps, finding a childhood memory, and zooming in until it became a sort of pixellated memory lane. Your mum and dad would be amazed, and you would be lauded because you showed them their old shed viewed from a satellite on the same thing they use to look up recipes.
I thought I was past that sort of technology-as-magic reaction, but since I tried out Google Earth VR on my Vive I’ve been shoving it on visitor’s faces ever since. It s magic.
For all the hullabaloo about “VR is the future of gaming” or “VR is dead in the water,” one thing remains clear: You can’t perform surgery with a PlayStation (yet?), but you can with VR . You can also treat a soldier’s PTSD, cheer on a comedian alongside an actual human audience,
For all the hullabaloo about “VR is the future of gaming” or “VR is dead in the water,” one thing remains clear: You can’t perform surgery with a PlayStation (yet?), but you can with VR. You can also treat a soldier’s PTSD, cheer on a comedian alongside an actual human audience, or make some bonafide art. Point being, VR is and always has been a tool for more than video games, and we’d be fools for thinking it’ll vanish for another decade or two just because VR games have struggled to break out.
The best non-game VR apps are what will hopefully keep the technology thriving long enough that eventually anyone and their mother can afford a powerful headset. We’re here to show you just which ones to show off.
Google Earth VR
Price: Free | Headsets: Rift, Vive, Go
The absolute king of non-game VR experiences, in my humble opinion, although certainly not the easiest for the less tech savvy. I’ve had the good fortune of introducing people of all ages to Google Earth VR, and particularly for the elderly, the experience can often be an emotional one. Though not every square yard of the earth is rendered immaculately (your rural town might be a little, uh, flatter than usual), the feeling of being transported back to a childhood street or a place in the city your friends used to meet up at is something that can hit a person pretty hard.
My own father, an elderly trucker, managed to find the Nevada desert road where he and a friend were stopped by rifle-toting federal agents for getting too close to Area 51, or so he tells me. Regardless, my old man managed to follow the twisting roads back to the Vegas area school he used to teach at, and I’m sorry, that’s just pretty darn cool. Google Earth VR still has a little ways to go (a “search by address” feature would be nice, along with less floating obelisks in the streets), but it’s an absolute must for anyone using VR.
Aircar
Price: Free | Headsets: Oculus Rift
How much you like Aircar depends on your definition of what a game/experience is, but nonetheless, it’s is a hidden gem among a sea of smaller VR experiences. The whole gist is right there in the title. You drive a little hovercraft around a dense, Blade Runner-like city, all set to some really subtle, moody electronic music. Dozens of other hovering vehicles float along the city streets, and larger transports rise up above the skyscrapers, all while rain collects on your windshield.
For as many VR space flight games as there are, Aircar manages to get to the point the fastest and in the most accessible form. Aircar, to me, is the science fiction equivalent of pulling off the road and taking a minute to enjoy the peace and isolation that only your car can provide, so much so that it's become my meditation app over actual meditation apps.
Anne Frank House VR
Price: Free | Headsets: Oculus Rift, GearVR
One of the things you most hear about the Anne Frank house tour (the real one) is that it feels like a place frozen in time. Desolate, ghostly quiet, but still harboring those flickers of life that surely carried Anne Frank, her family, and several of their friends through two years of hiding. For such a simple concept (you teleport from tiny room to tiny room of the Frank’s annex home, built using beautifully rendered 3D scans of the real home), it’s shocking how well this VR tour captures that haunting stillness.
I stood silent as a tomb, as if I were among a real tour group, hearing the real birds outside her window and listening to narrated versions of her unfinished diary entries. VR is great at evoking plenty of emotions—fear, awe, discomfort—but never before have I felt such quiet wonder at so simple an experience.
You may recognize Will Smith (the other one) from an infamous Giant Bomb clip, where his virtual body collapses in on itself as he takes his headset off, and because VR was still fresh, not even Jeff Gerstmann was quite prepared. The Foo Show itself is a fun jaunt through the world of game and film development. Smith joins some developers in a VR TV studio, where viewers can don their headset and watch like a real studio audience. Then Smith usually accompanies the developers to a VR version of a notable location from their game, where they go in-depth about how they built their world. It’s fascinating stuff, and Smith is a very likeable host. There hasn’t been any word on a season two, which sucks, but it’s hard not to see how innovative the Foo Show is when it really gets going.
Kingspray Graffiti
Price: $14.99 | Headsets: Oculus Rift, Vive
Good art takes time, and hopefully you don’t have to actually do time for it. Kingspray Graffiti lets you tag everything from a brick wall to a bus to a train car, and you can even do it with some buddies. Kingspray Graffiti sports some pretty welcoming tutorials, so you won’t be dribbling paint the entire time. Even if you are, the magic of VR allows for unlimited do-overs so you aren’t pulling any Banksy shred jobs.
Altspace VR
Price: Free | Headsets: Oculus Rift, Vive, Windows Mixed Reality
Don’t get me wrong. Virtual reality social gatherings are still, to put it simply, the worst. Altspace is...a little better. The developers respond well enough to input from the community, and the number of things they’ve got for users to do (or at least try) is impressive. Aside from the typical meet-and-greets, Altspace hosts some surprisingly unique ones, like a Women of VR gathering, live stand-up comedy sessions from the likes of Drew Carey and Reggie Watts, and even D&D sessions. They’ve done an admirable job of keeping things relatively fresh, accessible, and not overly terrifying.
Bigscreen (Beta)
Price: Free (Beta) | Headsets: Oculus Rift, Vive, Windows Mixed
While Altspace might be about chatting with strangers, Big Screen tends to be about shutting up and watching some movies with friends. The community aspect of Altspace also means you have a bit less customization available. Thankfully, Big Screen will let you adjust your view to be as big or little as you like, or pull up Steam and just start playing some non-VR games in VR, you elite.
Tilt Brush
Price: $19.99 | Headsets: Oculus Rift, Vive
Without a doubt, the best casual-level tool for making 3D art in VR, and it certainly puts up a fight when it comes to more professional artwork, too. All you have to do is look at some of the stunning pieces created by artists to get your own creative motors running, and Tilt Brush makes it surprisingly easy to get started on your own path. It’s an incredible amount of fun to give your art a neon glow, or scale it up and down so you can focus on the tiniest of detail, or, you know, just set it on fire.
NextVR
Price: Free | Headsets: Oculus, Vive, Windows Mixed
You know those ads going around with Jonah Hill and Adam Levine watching basketball in VR? Yep, that’s NextVR. A little slice of cable programming in your headset. Their current lineup includes some random NBA games, lots of stand-up comedy, and just as many musical performances. Not exactly DirecTV, but how else are you going to afford courtside seats with friends by your side? If you can stomach the fact that it’s 360 degree video and not true VR, it’s a perfectly good time.
Virtual Desktop
Price: $14.99 | Oculus, Vive, Windows Mixed
Though it was one of the first of its kind, Virtual Desktop has stuck around by, well, just being really good. Blow up your desktop’s output and get that 30-foot wraparound monitor you’ve always wanted. Some built-in features include Milkdrop for music visual effects, 360 degree video playback, a game launcher with voice support, and the ability to edit your environment of choice.
Vinyl Reality
Price: $19.99 | Oculus, Vive, Windows Mixed
One of VR’s biggest issues is the disconnect users feel when their hands fail to grab onto simple objects because of tracking issues. Vinyl Reality manages to sidestep most of those problems for a shockingly tight turntable DJing experience. Make your own music? Upload it and flex those fingers. Worried about accidentally losing the tempo? BPM settings can either make things accessible enough for newcomers or challenging enough for longtime fans.
Release Notes: Navigation enabled in Street View peek mode (when you place the preview sphere over your head). Crossfading between Street View 360 photo transitions. Enabled button on nondominant controller to slow down flight speed. Bug fixes.
Release Notes: Navigation enabled in Street View peek mode (when you place the preview sphere over your head). Crossfading between Street View 360 photo transitions. Enabled button on nondominant controller to slow down flight speed. Bug fixes.
The Earth is a big place, and with 196.9 million square miles to explore, we could all benefit from being able to explore more, faster. Today’s update lets you do just that. With Street View navigation, you can take in all the sights without ever leaving Street View mode. As long
The Earth is a big place, and with 196.9 million square miles to explore, we could all benefit from being able to explore more, faster.
Today’s update lets you do just that. With Street View navigation, you can take in all the sights without ever leaving Street View mode. As long as an adjacent 360 photo exists, you’ll be able to stroll along the streets and roads as if you’re there.
Additionally, we’ve worked hard to make changes that more efficiently use your bandwidth, resulting in faster load times. Over the holidays, check out medieval architecture in Sofia, fly over the monastery of El Escorial in Spain, or walk up the Selarón steps in Rio. And as always, happy exploring!
Street View navigation: Ability to navigate between Street View 360 photos by selecting icon in the direction of the next connected 360 photo. Note: this feature is only available upon entering Street View mode by pointing the laser at the preview sphere and pulling the trigger. It is not currently supported when placing the preview sphere over your head.
Improved imagery load times: Changes to more efficiently use bandwidth. This will improve imagery load times on Internet connections that may have been slow in the past.
The Earth is a big place, and with 196.9 million square miles to explore, we could all benefit from being able to explore more, faster. Today’s update lets you do just that. With Street View navigation, you can take in all the sights without ever leaving Street View mode. As long
The Earth is a big place, and with 196.9 million square miles to explore, we could all benefit from being able to explore more, faster.
Today’s update lets you do just that. With Street View navigation, you can take in all the sights without ever leaving Street View mode. As long as an adjacent 360 photo exists, you’ll be able to stroll along the streets and roads as if you’re there.
Additionally, we’ve worked hard to make changes that more efficiently use your bandwidth, resulting in faster load times. Over the holidays, check out medieval architecture in Sofia, fly over the monastery of El Escorial in Spain, or walk up the Selarón steps in Rio. And as always, happy exploring!
Street View navigation: Ability to navigate between Street View 360 photos by selecting icon in the direction of the next connected 360 photo. Note: this feature is only available upon entering Street View mode by pointing the laser at the preview sphere and pulling the trigger. It is not currently supported when placing the preview sphere over your head.
Improved imagery load times: Changes to more efficiently use bandwidth. This will improve imagery load times on Internet connections that may have been slow in the past.
Release Notes: Updated pre-installed cache data Fixed crash at start when audio device’s sample rate is 192 kHz Fixed crash when trying to display a message about why Earth VR could not start Fixed formatting issue with Street View photo attribution Fixed bug where Street View ph
Release Notes:
Updated pre-installed cache data
Fixed crash at start when audio device’s sample rate is 192 kHz
Fixed crash when trying to display a message about why Earth VR could not start
Fixed formatting issue with Street View photo attribution
Fixed bug where Street View photo address would sometimes not update
Release Notes: Updated pre-installed cache data Fixed crash at start when audio device’s sample rate is 192 kHz Fixed crash when trying to display a message about why Earth VR could not start Fixed formatting issue with Street View photo attribution Fixed bug where Street View ph
Release Notes:
Updated pre-installed cache data
Fixed crash at start when audio device’s sample rate is 192 kHz
Fixed crash when trying to display a message about why Earth VR could not start
Fixed formatting issue with Street View photo attribution
Fixed bug where Street View photo address would sometimes not update
With Google Earth VR, you can go anywhere in virtual reality. 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, there’s no shortage of things to do or ways to explore. We love th
With Google Earth VR, you can go anywhere in virtual reality. 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, there’s no shortage of things to do or ways to explore. We love this sense of possibility, so we’re bringing Street View to Earth VR to make it easier for you to see and experience the world.
This update lets you explore Street View imagery from 85 countries right within Earth VR. Just fly down closer to street level, check your controller to see if Street View is available and enter an immersive 360° photo. You’ll find photos from the Street View team and those shared by people all around the world.
If you need a fun place to start, check out a couple of our favorite spots. Make your way out to the old ballgame at AT&T Park, or head to the Old Port in Westeros … er, Croatia to see King's Landing from “Game of Thrones.”
Happy exploring!
Release notes
Street View: If you fly close to the Earth, the globe on your non-dominant controller will become a preview lens and indicate whether or not Street View is available. To enter, peek into the preview lens for a quick look, or point and click to enter an immersive 360 photo.
Renamed “Allow human scale” preference to “Restrict altitude”; limits how close users can fly to the ground.
Fixed human scale (experimental): Turn this feature on via the menu to stay human-sized at all altitudes.
Tutorial improvements: Added progress indicators and improved explanation text.
Refreshed pre-installed data cache for faster startup times.
With Google Earth VR, you can go anywhere in virtual reality. 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, there’s no shortage of things to do or ways to explore. We love th
With Google Earth VR, you can go anywhere in virtual reality. 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, there’s no shortage of things to do or ways to explore. We love this sense of possibility, so we’re bringing Street View to Earth VR to make it easier for you to see and experience the world.
This update lets you explore Street View imagery from 85 countries right within Earth VR. Just fly down closer to street level, check your controller to see if Street View is available and enter an immersive 360° photo. You’ll find photos from the Street View team and those shared by people all around the world.
If you need a fun place to start, check out a couple of our favorite spots. Make your way out to the old ballgame at AT&T Park, or head to the Old Port in Westeros … er, Croatia to see King's Landing from “Game of Thrones.”
Happy exploring!
Release notes
Street View: If you fly close to the Earth, the globe on your non-dominant controller will become a preview lens and indicate whether or not Street View is available. To enter, peek into the preview lens for a quick look, or point and click to enter an immersive 360 photo.
Renamed “Allow human scale” preference to “Restrict altitude”; limits how close users can fly to the ground.
Fixed human scale (experimental): Turn this feature on via the menu to stay human-sized at all altitudes.
Tutorial improvements: Added progress indicators and improved explanation text.
Refreshed pre-installed data cache for faster startup times.
Today we pushed a minor update to refresh the UI of the mirror window. We also upgraded the cache system — please note that upload size is larger than usual due to this change.
Today we pushed a minor update to refresh the UI of the mirror window. We also upgraded the cache system — please note that upload size is larger than usual due to this change.
Today we pushed a minor update to refresh the UI of the mirror window. We also upgraded the cache system — please note that upload size is larger than usual due to this change.
Today we pushed a minor update to refresh the UI of the mirror window. We also upgraded the cache system — please note that upload size is larger than usual due to this change.
When we first launched Google Earth VR, we knew there was something powerful about being able to point anywhere in the world and start flying. You could soar over landscapes and cities, and discover locations you didn't even know existed. But we also know people want to quickly f
When we first launched Google Earth VR, we knew there was something powerful about being able to point anywhere in the world and start flying. You could soar over landscapes and cities, and discover locations you didn't even know existed. But we also know people want to quickly find and revisit the places that mean the most to them, whether it's a childhood home or favorite vacation spot.
So, today we’re launching an update to Earth VR that gives you the ability to search. Just type an address or location name, and you can quickly visit anywhere in the world.
We’ve also added 27 new hand-picked locations to help you discover some of the world's most incredible places. You can check out Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany (the inspiration for Disneyland’s Sleeping Beauty Castle!), stand on the top of Table Mountain in South Africa, fly over Perito Moreno Glacier in Argentina, and much more.
And today we're bringing Earth VR to Oculus Rift with support for Oculus Touch controllers. Now, go explore!
Release notes
Search — integrated Google Earth’s search backend with new keyboard
Oculus Rift and Touch controller support
Advanced caching settings (ability to customize location and size) and
Improvements to caching performance
New introductory tour and 27 additional featured locations
Ability to switch dominant controller via game settings or desktop window
Fixed: Surround sound audio. Note: Stereo headphones recommended for best experience.
How to access advanced cache settings:
Navigate to AppData directory (e.g. C:\Users\\AppData\Local\Google\VR\Earth\)
Locate “earth_vr_preferences.json” file
Open in text editor and replace default values (bolded) for "diskCacheDirectoryPath": "C:/ProgramData/Google/VR/Earth/earthdata" and "diskCacheLimitInMb": 2048.
When we first launched Google Earth VR, we knew there was something powerful about being able to point anywhere in the world and start flying. You could soar over landscapes and cities, and discover locations you didn't even know existed. But we also know people want to quickly f
When we first launched Google Earth VR, we knew there was something powerful about being able to point anywhere in the world and start flying. You could soar over landscapes and cities, and discover locations you didn't even know existed. But we also know people want to quickly find and revisit the places that mean the most to them, whether it's a childhood home or favorite vacation spot.
So, today we’re launching an update to Earth VR that gives you the ability to search. Just type an address or location name, and you can quickly visit anywhere in the world.
We’ve also added 27 new hand-picked locations to help you discover some of the world's most incredible places. You can check out Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany (the inspiration for Disneyland’s Sleeping Beauty Castle!), stand on the top of Table Mountain in South Africa, fly over Perito Moreno Glacier in Argentina, and much more.
And today we're bringing Earth VR to Oculus Rift with support for Oculus Touch controllers. Now, go explore!
Release notes
Search — integrated Google Earth’s search backend with new keyboard
Oculus Rift and Touch controller support
Advanced caching settings (ability to customize location and size) and
Improvements to caching performance
New introductory tour and 27 additional featured locations
Ability to switch dominant controller via game settings or desktop window
Fixed: Surround sound audio. Note: Stereo headphones recommended for best experience.
How to access advanced cache settings:
Navigate to AppData directory (e.g. C:\Users\\AppData\Local\Google\VR\Earth\)
Locate “earth_vr_preferences.json” file
Open in text editor and replace default values (bolded) for "diskCacheDirectoryPath": "C:/ProgramData/Google/VR/Earth/earthdata" and "diskCacheLimitInMb": 2048.
Wonder isn’t dead. Despite having easy access to infinite knowledge from a dirty phone whose battery life is never enough, PCs capable of rendering individual hair follicles on brainless space marines, and the frozen treats section at Trader Joe's, I can still get all teary-eyed
Wonder isn’t dead. Despite having easy access to infinite knowledge from a dirty phone whose battery life is never enough, PCs capable of rendering individual hair follicles on brainless space marines, and the frozen treats section at Trader Joe's, I can still get all teary-eyed over a nice view. Set some moving synth music to it, and phew, you got me.
Google Earth VR is Inspirational Crane Shot: The Game, where you’re given free reign of Google’s global imaging data across a simulated Earth, and set loose. Most impressive is how Google uses terrain and imaging data in coordination with some magic Silicon Valley math to render mountains, valleys, and even individual trees and buildings—to magic math’s best ability, that is.
From a bird’s eye view, seeing four walls and roof on every house in San Francisco or London is pretty astounding. I feel like Superman, peering down at a real place, even if it’s not exactly to scale until you’re right on the street.
Down and dirty
And street level is where things get wack. Every object looks like it was rendered circa 1995, and then corrupted by a maniacal AI bent on eliminating the human race by luring them into a venus fly trap recreation of our reality. Everything is normal here, in low-res San Francisco where no people live and the cars are fused with the ground. Trees billow like toxic clouds, buildings sport messy polygonal appendages, and Google’s Magic math turns power lines and shadows into abstract sculptures. It’s not exactly pretty, but it’s still just familiar enough to tap into your memories of a place, like a dream you’re trying to remember. And in that way, Google Earth VR is powerful, especially given the implication that their data and algorithms will improve, and VR headsets will someday become advanced enough to mirror our eyes’ ability to see .
As of now, only major cities and a few national parks have been given the 3D treatment, but in time we could all be esteemed world travelers, minus the whole human cultural experience.
The better VR games, like Chronos and Hover Junkers, have come and gone before the platform has even found its footing. I can always go back, but they're beginning to feel dated. Google Earth VR, as awful as it can look now, is built to grow with the platform. It's only going to get better, which isn't something we can always say of videogames, let alone the real world. For that alone, it would hold my interest for years to come, but it's already intensely strange and curious.
Dibs on VR Everest, by the way. Canada, too. And wherever they filmed Jaws. Nice beach.
Got a Vive? Gotta have this, then. Google’s VR mod of its long-running planet-modelling app was one of the things that was shown to devs and us media types back when Valve were first demoing the Vive. It’s now finally passed on to you, the consumer and/or unwitting sharer of vast
Got a Vive? Gotta have this, then. Google’s VR mod of its long-running planet-modelling app was one of the things that was shown to devs and us media types back when Valve were first demoing the Vive. It’s now finally passed on to you, the consumer and/or unwitting sharer of vast amounts of personal data, as Google Earth VR, a free download via Steam. It’s a lovely thing, allowing you to have a giant’s eye view of anywhere in the world, much of it rendered in 3D.
Clearly, visiting a blurry version of Monument Valley and looking down at its smudged textures from 100 foot above is no substitute for a real visit to canyon country, but it’s a neat shortcut for reminding oneself of the majesty of nature. And a recent ‘flight’ over Tokyo or Hawaii is good for questioning one’s life choices as one trudges home through the November rain.
Google Earth VR is Now Available on Steam! Google Earth VR lets you explore the world from totally new perspectives in virtual reality. Stroll the streets of Tokyo, soar over the Grand Canyon, or walk around the Eiffel Tower.
Google Earth VR is Now Available on Steam!
Google Earth VR lets you explore the world from totally new perspectives in virtual reality. Stroll the streets of Tokyo, soar over the Grand Canyon, or walk around the Eiffel Tower.
The world has so many beautiful and amazing places to visit. If we're lucky, we're able to travel and see a few of them. But even the most active travelers can only see a fraction. What if we could see them all? Ten years ago, Google Earth began as an effort to help people everyw
The world has so many beautiful and amazing places to visit. If we're lucky, we're able to travel and see a few of them. But even the most active travelers can only see a fraction. What if we could see them all?
Ten years ago, Google Earth began as an effort to help people everywhere explore our planet. And now, with more than two billion downloads, many have. Today, we are introducing Google Earth VR as our next step to help the world see the world. With Earth VR, you can fly over a city, stand at the top of the highest peaks, and even soar into space.
Now, at 196.9 million square miles, we know the world is pretty big, so we’ve made it easy to find great places to visit. Earth VR comes with cinematic tours and hand-picked destinations that send you to the Amazon River, the Manhattan skyline, the Grand Canyon, the Swiss Alps, and more.
You can download Google Earth VR today on the Steam Store for free. Like Tilt Brush, Earth VR is launching first on the HTC Vive. Stay tuned for more updates on Google Earth across other platforms next year.
