Facebook introduces 360-degree videos to newsfeed

PanARMENIAN.Net - Facebook introduced Wednesday, September 23, 360-degree videos to its newsfeed platform, letting users experience video by looking around in every direction, CNN News reports.

The first batch of "360 videos" were published Wednesday as marketing material from the makers of Star Wars, NBC's Saturday Night Live, Go Pro, and others.

The Star Wars video lets you look around the desolate, war-torn wasteland of a far-off planet. The Saturday Night Live video has you join the live audience during its 40th anniversary show. Meanwhile, GoPro brings you along for a dirt bike joy ride in the Idaho desert.

At a desktop computer, use your mouse to "grab" the screen and pan in any direction. On a smartphone, you're supposed to tilt the device to look around.

But right now, this feature works best on a desktop computer. If you try it on a smartphone, you'll probably get this message: "360 Video is not yet available for this device." Facebook says 360 Video works on Android, but it didn't work during a quick test by CNNMoney. Facebook said it expects to roll out this feature to iOS in the coming months.

It's a radical new way to experience media. And it shows we're one major step closer to virtual reality becoming an everyday affair.

On his Facebook page, Facebook's top product executive, Chris Cox, called it "a really cool experience that takes you somewhere else." He said anyone will be able to upload 360 Video "very soon."