Opera Developer 49 supports viewing of videos in virtual reality headsets right from the browser

Viewing 360 degree videos in virtual reality headsets is somewhat of a hassle as users have to download the video, and open it up from another application. The developer version of Opera now supports viewing of 360 degree videos in virtual reality headsets right from the browser itself. When a 360 degree video is detected, users will see a popup button that says "Watch in VR", and users can instantly start experiencing the video with complete immersion.[caption id="attachment_4067935" align="alignleft" width="380"] Image: Opera[/caption]Even if the videos are not 360 degree videos, Opera allows the viewing of standard 2D videos, or 180 degree videos in an immersive environment, as if the user is sitting in a theater. Supported headsets include the HTC Vive, the Oculus Rift and any other headsets that are compatible with the OpenVR standard. The feature makes it easy for VR enthusiasts to browse through the web in VR headsets, and instantly play back videos from the integrated 360 degree player in the browser.Krystian Kolondra, Head of Opera browser says, "This is just the first step on the path for a fully immersive and compatible VR experience on a web browser. With the ever-growing resource of 360-degree content from independent filmmakers and major media and sports companies, it’s hard for VR capabilities to keep up with our imagination. To start, we want to make life easier for VR enthusiasts by providing instant VR video playback to your headset without the need of additional software. We will continue to work with our partners to test and support other popular models of VR headsets as they enter the market."Opera has indicated that it will have full support for WebVR, once the standard gets more common. The interface for the videos have easy to use controls for geometry and stereoscopy. The 360 degree playback does not work on smartphone based headsets such as the Google Daydream View. Users can download the developer version of Opera from the Opera website.