YouTube App Goes Live on Oculus Go VR Headset

YouTube is finally bringing its virtual reality (VR) app to Facebook’s Oculus Go headset: The Google-owned video service launched an app for the Go headset on the Oculus Store Monday.

The launch is not a complete surprise: Oculus first announced plans to bring YouTube to the Oculus Go at its developer conference in September, albeit without a set date.

With this launch, YouTube is now available on all major VR headsets. YouTube’s app went live on Samsung’s Gear VR headset, which is based on the same software as the Oculus Go, this summer. The video service also launched versions of the app for HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR.

YouTube also announced some more news geared towards VR creators Monday: The video service is bringing its VR180 creator app, which aims to simplify the publishing of 180-degree video content, to Windows.

And to make VR audio more immersive, YouTube is now offering creators the ability to add “headlocked” audio to their VR videos. Traditionally, immersive audio in VR has been spatial, meaning that it can be freely positioned in a 360-degree space — something that can help draw a viewer’s attention in a certain direction.

However, it doesn’t make sense to position all audio sources this way, as YouTube’s senior product manager for VR Erin Teague explained in a blog post Monday. “We’ve recently added support for headlocked audio, which means that you can add narration and background music that will sound the same no matter where you look,” she said.

“VR videos unlock a world of experiences,” Teague added. “With new and easier ways to create and watch VR content, we look forward to seeing what stories you tell, locations you transport viewers to and experiences you uncover.”