GoPro and Google are currently working together to create Jump, a camera rig with 16 GoPro cameras that will allow professional videographers to capture seamless 360-degree footage.
The Jump, announced at the recent Google I/O Developers Conference in California, is currently in its development stages and will be available in a few months' time.
While there's no confirmation regarding the VR rig's pricing, the fact that the product targets professionals and that a single GoPro camera goes for anywhere between US$300-500 could mean the Jump will carry a hefty tag.
"This is not a mass market consumer product," Google product manager Clay Bavor said.
"What's critical is the actual geometry, and we spent a lot of time optimizing everything: the size of the rig, the number and placement of the cameras, their field of view, relative overlap, every last detail," Bavor added.
While GoPro focuses on the hardware aspect, Google is developing a cloud-based production environment for the Jump so that users could upload the footage and assemble or process them into a video for any VR viewer. The final video can also be uploaded on be shared on YouTube directly from the device.
Google is also hard at work with a more consumer-friendly VR device, the Google Cardboard VR viewer. It is now being used by some schools for virtual field trips.
The Cardboard version 2, which was launched at the same event, was made simpler and compatible with iOS 8 and above. It can now accommodate phones with 6-inch displays and smaller. The magnetic ring controlling the device was replaced by a single button for easier control during use.
Google Cardboard is a normal cardboard box folded to become a VR head device. It has a pair of plastic lenses that help render the 3D images from a regular smartphone's screen. The actual 3D app from Google is downloadable via Google Play.
"Here's how it works: a box arrives with everything you need to travel. Cardboard and phones for every student, a teacher tablet, and all of these devices are synchronized. When the teacher chooses a place, the entire classroom jumps there together," Bavor said.
In preparation for the educational trips, Google established partnerships with the Planetary Society, the Chateau de Versailles, the Smithsonian and the American Museum of Natural History.
The specifications and other information regarding the Jump and the Cardboard are going to be available online for everyone to customize or improve on.
With Google improving the Cardboard and partnering with GoPro for the Jump, its effort to become a strong contender in the VR business is slowly going to be realized.
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