YouTube VR launches on more platforms, adds new features

YouTube is launching its YouTube VR app on more platforms and is adding new features and tools that it says will make virtual reality “feel even more immersive”.

From this week Gear VR users will be able to access the YouTube VR app by downloading it from the Oculus Store. The app is already available on Daydream View, HTC Vive and PlayStation VR.

YouTube said it is also introducing a new feature in the YouTube VR app that lets users watch and discuss videos with others in a “communal, virtual space”. This can be accessed by clicking the ‘watch together’ icon under the play controls on Daydream View or Gear VR.

“We want everyone with a VR headset to be able to experience YouTube VR,” said Erin Teague, YouTube VR product lead in a company blog post. “YouTube VR is already home to more than 800,000 experiences in the virtual world, and this summer, we’ll bring you more exclusive experiences.”

“VR can take you anywhere and YouTube VR can bring you to more places in the virtual world than anywhere else. I’ve never been more excited about the next places VR storytellers, explorers and the community will take us – letting us experience them as if we’re actually there.”