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Take a virtual walk through the ancient capital of the Kushite Kingdom, with over 200 stunning pyramids of Meroë - a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Immerse yourself into the ocean and see the largest living structure on the planet, developed in partnership with Underwater Earth.

Experience Ukraine’s history through an immersive collection. Explore Street View imagery collected before the war, wander virtual art galleries and see 3D models of architectural landmarks in AR.

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Adventures abound: Explore Google Expeditions on your own

Jul 19, 2017

[[read-time]] min read

Google Expeditions makes it possible for teachers to take their classrooms on virtual reality field trips to amazing places like the Taj Mahal or Machu Picchu. Today, we’re starting to roll out a new solo mode of Expeditions for Android, so that anybody can explore more than 600 different tours on their own. Just download the Expeditions app (coming soon for iOS), drop your phone into Cardboard and get ready for an adventure.

For the past two years, Expeditions has been a tool to extend learning inside the classroom, helping students to see and experience the world in new ways, visit college campuses, gain exposure to new career paths and role models, and learn about various social impact initiatives happening around the globe. During this time, we've heard from students, teachers, and even our friends, that they'd love to explore and learn from Expeditions outside the classroom .

Self-Guided Expeditions let anyone explore anywhere. Students can go on tours at home and share the experience with their family. Teachers can assign tours as homework to complement in-class work. What better way to round out textbook reading about the Founding Fathers than an Expedition about the Hamilton-Burr duel narrated by Lin-Manuel Miranda? And of course, anybody who loves to learn and explore can experience all the tours for themselves.

It’s easy to use . All you need is your smartphone, Google Cardboard and the Expeditions app. If you have a Daydream-ready phone, it also works with Daydream View. Simply launch the app, pop your phone in your viewer and you’re ready to go. You can take tours as either an Explorer or a Guide. As an Explorer, you experience the tour on your own, and you’ll see points of interest highlighted with more information about the incredible sights you’re seeing. Guide mode is especially handy if you’re a teacher and you want to preview a tour before leading your students on it.

We’ve also heard from teachers that they want more tools to help explain and highlight things within Expeditions panoramas and environments. The new “Annotations” tool lets a Guide draw within a scene using their finger or a stylus. Each of the connected Explorers will instantly see that same annotation in the scene.

To get started with Self-Guided Expeditions, check out the Seven Modern Wonders of the World, or dive into the beautiful and fragile Great Barrier Reef. Or, if you love baseball, check out one of the game’s great cathedrals with a tour of Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Wherever you choose to go, there’ll be something amazing to see.

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Google Tour Creator makes VR tours ridiculously easy to create

Here's how to make your own, step-by-step.

Do you run a small bed and breakfast and want to make it easy for prospective customers to take a virtual tour of your facility? Or create a virtual walking tour of your college campus or downtown historic district? And maybe you don't want to spend any money, or sign up for any platform, or learn 3D development and design tools. Google's Tour Creator has made it very simple to make VR tours at home.

When I last wrote about how to create virtual tours , a year ago, people had three basic options. They could post their 360-degree photos online — on Facebook, say, or their own website — then share links to each one individually. Or they could use virtual tour creation software such as that from Panotour , Pano2VR , EasyPano , 3DVista , VPix , Roundme and TheViewer .

It was doable, but not easy.

Now, Google has released its own take on virtual tours, Google's Tour Creator , and it's completely free, ridiculously easy to use, and works on all platforms — regular web browsers, all mobile phones and tablets and any of the major virtual reality headsets as long as they can open a web page.

You start with collecting some 360-degree content. That could be photos that you take with your own phone or 360-degree camera or find online. Or — and this is the cool part — any Google Street View location.

For example, here is a 360-degree Google Street View image of the Quabbin Reservoir in Western Massachusetts, where I live.

If you don't have a 360-degree camera and want an image that's not in Google Street View, and you can't find one with the license terms you need online, Google also has a free app that lets you take 360-degree photos with just your regular phone, called Cardboard Camera, available for both Android and iPhones.

It took me just a couple of minutes to put together a virtual tour of my house, using a Google Street View image and some 360-degree photos.

Click on the "Add scene" button, and either look for a Google Maps location or click on the "Upload" button to use your own photo.

However, I wasn't able to use a 360-degree video I had filmed earlier of the chickens in my back yard. The tool doesn't support video content yet. It would be nice if, at some point, Google would support video content in their tours, as well, though I can see how this would add navigation challenges for users.

One feature I did appreciate was one called "Points of Interest." You just click the button to add one, select its location, and type its label and description. This would be useful for, say, adding descriptions to museum exhibits. Or if you're doing a virtual tour of your hotel, a swimming pool could be a point of interest, and the pop-up info tab could tell visitors what hours the pool is open.

Once you save the tour and publish it, you can share a link or embed it on your blog, social media feed, or website, just like you would a YouTube video.

If your visitor doesn't have a VR headset , they can view it the same way they view any 360-degree photo, by using the mouse or touchscreen to look around, or by moving their mobile device in the direction they want to look.

If they do have a VR headset, and they're using a browser that supports VR, then clicking on the VR headset icon will switch them to side-by-side VR view, and they can then put on their headset and look around from inside the scene.

There are also VR-friendly navigation options, so you can go on to the next scene without taking off the headset. I personally found it awkward to use, since my controller wouldn't pair correctly. As the VR interface improves and gets more intuitive, that problem should go away.

In practice, however, if you want customers to view your tour in virtual reality, your best bet is to set them up with a headset in person. For example, if you're a real estate broker or travel agent, and you customer is in your office, you could pull up the tour on your own headset, where it's already queued up and the controllers properly paired with the device.

So far, the bulk of the tours that have been shared publicly on the platform are for real estate properties and travel destinations.

One early adopter is Moinian Group, a real estate company based in New York City.

"We're always looking for easy ways for people to explore our offerings. Tour Creator has given us the ability to virtually allow an individual to immerse themselves in our spaces without physically seeing it," said Michael Mignosi, the company's Director of Marketing, in Google's announcement of the new tool.

• Google's new Tour Creator lets students make their own VR tours ... ›
• Google's new Tour Creator tool tries to make VR more accessible ›
• Design Your Own VR Tour With Google's 'Tour Creator' - VRScout ›

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7 Great Virtual Reality Travel Experiences

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Who says you can't see the world if you stay home? Virtual reality (VR) tourism experiences let you see places all over the world without ever leaving your couch. These aren't games; they're experiences, so the pace may be slower than you expect, but they are worth your patience. Here are some of the best VR tourist destinations to help you decide on your next virtual adventure.

Make sure your computer is beefy enough to handle the demands of virtual reality technology.

The Grand Canyon VR Experience

Very relaxing experience.

Excellent visual and sound quality.

Impressive attention to detail.

Predefined with little control.

Requires powerful hardware.

Short experience.

In The Grand Canyon VR Experience ($2.99 by Immersive Entertainment), you sit in a virtual motorized kayak ride through the Grand Canyon. Tailor the tour to your preferences by selecting either a sunlit or moonlit experience and controlling the ride's speed.

While you cruise along, you'll enjoy the sights and sounds of procedurally generated, artificially intelligent wildlife. Attract and feed the virtual fish as you navigate the waterways.

The ride is on rails, so you can't steer the kayak. However, you can stop at various points and enjoy the scenery by using the throttle speed controls of your motorized kayak or by exiting at scenic rest stops.

The tour is short, and there's no historical background information for history buffs. Still, it is a fun ride perfect for someone new to VR.

This tour requires one of the following virtual reality headsets: HTC Vive, Oculus Rift , or Valve Index .

Explore amazing places.

Impressively detailed.

More locations are added to the library regularly.

Not updated recently.

Realities (free from Realities.io ) is a VR travel app that allows you to explore scanned and modeled real-world environments. The environments aren't just 360-degree photos; these locations were captured with specialized scanning equipment, allowing for immersive rendering in virtual reality.

The user interface is a giant globe you rotate with your VR controllers. Once you decide on the place you want to visit, tap the area on the virtual globe, and you are instantly whisked away to the exotic locale.

One interesting destination is a cell in the infamous Alcatraz prison. When you arrive, you're greeted by an unseen narrator, presumably a former prisoner in the cell next to you, who recalls their experiences. It's museum-like and an educational adventure worth having.

There are other destinations of varying size and complexity, and the experience is updated with new realities regularly.

This experience is compatible with the HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Valve Index, and Windows Mixed Reality .

Titans of Space PLUS

Great soundtrack.

Detailed 3D visuals.

Impressive sense of scale.

Flying through space makes some users feel nauseated.

No improvements since late 2019.

Do you like planetariums? Have you always wished they were more realistic? If you've ever dreamed of riding in a spaceship and exploring the solar system and beyond, Titans of Space PLUS ($9.99 by DrashVR LLC) helps make this a reality—at least a virtual one).

The original Titans of Space was one of the first polished virtual reality experiences available; it created a lot of buzz about all the potential VR had to offer.

This app provides a theme park-style ride through the solar system and beyond, allowing you to control the pace of the experience. Factoids about the planets and moons are provided throughout your journey, as are distances and other measurements of interest.

The sense of scale of the planets and moons is truly awe-inspiring and gives a unique perspective only astronauts usually get to have.

This title runs in both standard and VR modes. It does not require a VR headset. It is compatible with HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Valve Index, and Windows Mixed Reality.

Impressive rendering technology.

Auto-tunes for your GPU.

Stunning visuals.

Can feel slow.

Mostly narration with little hands-on time.

Everest VR ($9.99 from Sólfar Studios ) is an interactive Mount Everest VR tourism experience.

You'll experience Mount Everest in five iconic scenes. Prepare for your expedition at Basecamp, traverse the terrifying Khumbu Icefalls, spend the night at Camp 4, ascend the perilous Hillary Step, and finally conquer the summit of Everest.

After completing your first summit attempt, unlock God Mode to reach a unique vantage point of the Himalayas that's only possible in VR. Towering over the mountain range, this is a stunning VR diorama.

EVEREST VR is a must if you're into mountain climbing but don't like its possible death and frostbite aspects.

Requires one of the following virtual reality headsets: HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, or Valve Index.

The VR Museum of Fine Art

Lots of content.

Educational experience.

Hasn't been updated since its initial release.

No voice narration.

Only takes about 20 minutes to experience.

If you've ever wanted to peruse a museum at your own pace with no limits on how close you can get to the artwork, then The VR Museum of Fine Art (free from Finn Sinclair) is for you.

This free app holds amazing educational value with incredibly detailed scans of some of the world's most famous paintings and sculptures. Look at the brushstrokes of Monet's Water Lilies or take a 360-degree tour of Michelangelo's David. This is an art lover's delight.  

The experience makes you feel as if you're visiting a museum, complete with a pamphlet map to help you navigate your way around the exhibits.

Great VR experience.

Incredibly realistic.

Contains three episodes.

theBlu ($9.99 from Wevr INC .) is a collection of virtual reality-based underwater experiences that make you feel as if you're literally in the tank of a huge aquarium exhibit.

Stand on the deck of a sunken ship while a gargantuan whale swims by and looks you straight in the eye or swim in a sea of bioluminescent jellyfish. There's no need for expensive scuba equipment or diving classes, or even to leave your living room, for that matter.

The level of detail in this app is amazing, and the sense of scale (especially during the whale encounter in the first episode) is jaw-dropping.

Compatible with HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Valve Index, and Windows Mixed Reality.

Google Earth VR

Amazing street view VR.

Travel the world virtually.

Impressive, vast experience.

Can be slow to load.

Lacks a search feature.

May cause motion sickness.

When Google Earth was released many years ago, everyone marveled at the novelty of finding and viewing their house from satellite imagery. Now, Google Earth VR (free from Google) lets you see your house from space and virtually fly to it and stand in your front yard or on your rooftop.

Change the sun's position, scale objects to any size you like, and fly around the world. The detail levels depend on what you're trying to view. For example, tourist destinations are likely to have more detailed geospatial imagery than rural areas. There is so much to see, and Google offers virtual tours to help you get started.

Google has even added several comfort features to prevent virtual travel sickness in this must-see virtual reality app.

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Top 10 virtual tours: see museums and the world without leaving home

Stuck at home? You can still enjoy amazing sights and experiences

Many of the world’s most iconic locations now offer virtual tours, meaning you can visit museums, world heritage sites and other attractions from the comfort of your couch. You don’t need a VR headset , either, although some attractions do support virtual reality for a more immersive experience.

So if you’re looking for things to do at home, and in need of a change of scenery, simply grab your laptop, tablet or phone, and join us on a world tour filled with history, nature and – of course – technology.

1. Machu Picchu, Andes Mountains, Peru

A simply stunning UNESCO World Heritage site, Machu Picchu is a visual wonder that just has to be seen. You no longer need to fly all the way to Peru to see it in all its glory, however, as the virtual tour is comprehensive, immersive, and filled with fascinating insights.

With 360-degree views of the ruins of Inca settlements and lush green landscapes, you can visit every popular vantage point and learn more about the history of the famous site thanks to a helpful voice narrator. OK, you can’t feel the warm breeze around you, but if you turn on the heat and have a handy desk fan set to low, it’s almost as good as the real thing. Almost.

Behold the marvel : Machu Picchu

2. The Louvre Museum, Paris

An attraction visited by millions of tourists in person every year, the Louvre Museum has also created a selection of virtual tours based on its permanent collections. Explore Egyptian antiquities, the Remains of the Louvre’s Moat, and the decorative arts of the Galerie d’Apollon. 

The tour is easy to navigate, with an expandable minimap that lets you highlight exhibits to view with just a couple of clicks. You can also find out more about each room in The Louvre, with detailed descriptions that will probably make the room you’re actually sitting in feel frightfully dull in comparison. 

Take a trip: Louvre Museum

3. The National Museum of Computing, Milton Keynes, UK

The National Museum of Computing contains the world’s largest collection of working historic computers. That means one of them probably runs Microsoft Vista and is still working...

The museum features a fantastic, intuitive, virtual 3D tour. You can zoom in on each exhibit’s details, and find out more about every aspect of computing history, such as the world’s oldest working digital computer. Impressive stuff.

Discover a digital treasure trove: The National Museum of Computing

4. Georgia Aquarium, Georgia, USA

Nothing beats the beauty of nature, so it’s good to know you can still get your daily dose of “aww” from the safety of your sofa. The Georgia Aquarium has over 50 species ranging from sea lions to underwater puffins, with many available to view via webcam. There’s also a daily and weekly livestream that’s aimed at piquing children’s interest in animals, and a great at-home educational tool if you want to entertain the little ones. 

Ever wondered what a Beluga Whale gets up to in its spare time? Just click on the link below and find out. Water-way to have a good time. 

Sea more: Georgia Aquarium

5. A 3-Minute Tour, Tokyo

What if we told you that you could ride in a Tuk Tuk, walk across the famous Shibuya crossing, win a Pikachu from a claw machine, and make friends with a robot… all in under three minutes. That might be physically impossible, but with VR it’s a breeze.

If you’ve ever wanted to take a whistle-stop tour of Japan, the Japan National Tourism Organization has created a 360-degree virtual reality video that lets you do all of the above, and lots more. 

Simply put on a VR headset to experience a surreal thrill ride, where you’ll go from feeding a deer to facing off against a sumo wrestler in a matter of seconds. The video is also viewable in 2D, and well worth a look. 

Check it out below.

6. The British Museum, London

Home to a remarkable collection that spans over two million years of human history and culture, The British Museum has nearly 50 online exhibits to view. From Bonaparte and the Battle of Waterloo to exploring the history of LGBTQ, there’s plenty of informative content to delve into.

For a more interactive experience, check out the Museum of the World tour . You can browse through a large selection of exhibits that are dated by century, continent and category – such as trade and conflict or art and design. Each exhibit offers a detailed description as well as accompanying audio, which helps provide a fascinating backstory to each piece. 

Browse the exhibits: The British Museum

7. The Vatican, Rome

Filled with spectacular architecture and historic monuments, The Vatican is within your virtual reach, with a host of museums providing online tours. Step into the Sistine Chapel and Raphael’s Rooms, which are adorned with simply sensational artwork. 

The tour is compatible with WebVR, so you can pop on a VR headset to get an even closer look at some of mankind’s most memorable creations. It’s truly breathtaking, even when viewed through a screen.  

When in Rome, visit: The Vatican

 8. Musée d’Orsay, Paris

Located in the center of Paris, this historic museum was installed in the former Orsay railway station. It was originally built for the Universal Exhibition of 1900, and displays collections of art from the period 1848 to 1914.

Take a leisurely virtual stroll through the opulent hallways and witness works from dozens of famous French artists, including Monet, Gauguin and Van Gogh. With no other visitors to contend with, you can soak up all the culture on display to your heart’s content – and there’s a lot to soak up. 

Take the tour: Musée d’Orsay

9. Athens Acropolis, Athens

A must-visit destination for history buffs, the Athens Acropolis includes the world-famous Parthenon, and is a cultural hotspot for tourists. Choose between popular sites such as the Theatre of Dionysus and enjoy in-depth videos that provide a fascinating and educational insight into ancient Greece. 

There are plenty of photographs to view and engrossing facts to learn, so don’t be surprised if you become an armchair expert in no time. Now, where’d you put that amphora of wine? 

Get to the Greek: Athens Acropolis

10. The Royal Academy of Arts, London

If you’re amazed by architecture, the Royal Academy of Arts has a virtual tour that will make you go “ooo” and “ahh” for hours. The Sensing Spaces exhibition uses high-quality 360-degree photography to give visitors a taste of its structures and remarkable exhibitions – it really does feel as if you’re actually there. 

Each exhibition is complemented by further information for users to read through, but you’re encouraged to come to your own conclusions, and think about what each space means to you.

Visit the exhibition: Sensing Spaces

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Adam was formerly TRG's Hardware Editor. A law graduate with an exceptional track record in content creation and online engagement, Adam has penned scintillating copy for various technology sites and also established his very own award-nominated video games website. He’s previously worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor and once played Halo 5: Guardians for over 51 hours for charity. He is now an editor at The Shortcut.

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Google Releases Highly-polished VR Tour of Versailles for Free

Built using photogrammetry

Google Arts & Culture partnered with Château de Versailles to create an extremely detailed VR tour of the iconic French palace, aptly named VersaillesVR – the palace is yours (2019) .

The free app, which is now available on Steam with support for Rift, Vive, and Index, takes you through the centuries-old palace, letting you inspect and learn about the UNESCO World Heritage site’s many paintings, sculptures, furniture, as well as few of its gilded halls.

Built for King Louis XIV in the mid-1600s, the Palace of Versailles was the principal royal residence of France until the start of the French Revolution in 1789. And it certainly makes for an interesting historical juxtaposition: what was once only available to the elite is now free for anyone with a PC VR headset to enjoy. Liberté, égalité, fraternité—all that jazz—and no throngs of tourist groups to swim through either.

Inside the experience, which is only available for VR headsets, you can click on artifacts and learn more about them, getting a text explanation as well as a closer look at the discrete 3D models.

A handy map also lets you move around the palace and tour a few of the its storied halls, including the King and Queen’s state apartments, the Royal Opera House, the Royal Chapel (sculpted by Corneil Van Clève in the 18th century), and the iconic 73 meter-long Hall of Mirrors.

Built using photogrammetry, Google’s Arts & Culture team took 132,000 high-res photos from different angles, and then fed it all into their software to build a 3D model. Coming in at over 7 GB in size, the experience is amazingly detailed to say the least.

“What makes this experience unique is the size of the digitization we’ve undertaken here in Versailles,” Google Arts & Culture Lab’s Damien Henry says. “We’ve captured 24 rooms in 12 days. We were able to capture 7,000 square meters, and if we count the walls and roof, the total amount is 36,000 square meters.”

Granted, the physical palace measures more than 67,000 square meters of floor space, making the VR experience more of an  aperitif  that the creators hope will stimulate an appetite for an in-person visit.

Any discussion of a Quest version? Experiences like this may drive me to get the upcoming link cable.

Tbh I recon this would work fine wirelessly streamed. Will try later

“what was once only available to the elite is now free for anyone with a PC VR headset to enjoy”

i.e. the elite?

#vrmasterrace

Well, yessish. You can get a PC VR headset for $200. Meanwhile, a trip to Versailles, for much of the world, is pretty much out of reach.

They’re obviously referring to the context in history… plebs like us couldn’t just waltz into the palace… only royalty. It’s a palace… so historically built for the “elite” of the time.

Derp. Whatever could they mean??

Just a friendly tip for any one trying to learn French? Here are some nice resources.

– Drops … for android or apple device, – Memrise … – Michel Thomas french. – Famous US state department FSI course but updated… http://www.drbrianslanguages.com/french.html – Rosetta stone – italki – frenchpod 101

Start with drops..

Really nice work from google.

Drops is really lovely…..

I wonder if there are any plans to implement this in WebXR….

Just looks like 360 images with 3d models you can spin?

Love it – but cannot seem to activate high gfx settings. Nothing happens from medium to high? – so its not sharp when you get close. But overall its still a nice experience. I like that there are actually small passages some places, that take you to rooms not easily visible if you just rush through.

For sure not highly polished. Just a very very average quality photogrammetry. Looks amateurish.

Yes downloaded it this morning and used with my Index, wasn’t impressed.

Google’s “Welcome to Light Fields” is well worth checking out, but it’s ruined photogrammetry for me. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/aac57e7772df132c1aeaed316e9af8eb281a717495884d0bc3353a89f36e7815.jpg

was looking for this comment. Its just trash.

Nice ! Now do the Louvre.

“Liberté, égalité, fraternité—all that jazz” Well no, the Versailles Palace is the symbol of the French monarchy, so it’s the opposite of “liberté, égalité, fraternité”…

You can see from the video that the photogrammetry was not done with “their software” but with RealityCapture.

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Best virtual tours that you can take without leaving home

Need to get out of the house and go on vacation, but finances, health, or other circumstances have you staying at home? Virtual tours are the next best thing. They allow you to travel to exotic locations, including space, without ever leaving home. Here are some of the best ways to take a staycation getaway using virtual tours.

Best virtual tour app for Android

Best virtual tour app for iphone, best virtual tours online, best virtual space tours, best virtual tours of us national parks, best way to take a random tour, best global virtual tour, best zoo virtual tours, best aquarium virtual tours, best fine art virtual tours, best history museum virtual tours, best virtual nature walks.

The Seven Wonders app allows you to travel to the seven wonders of the world from your phone. The app supports the use of Google Cardboard but you don’t have to use it. You can just hold your phone up to your face — as you move the phone, you’ll see a 360-degree view of whatever location you’re visiting.

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With the Sites in VR app, you can take tours around the world using a virtual reality headset or just your phone or iPad. You can choose from cities or countries to visit, or you can go inside famous landmarks, like the pyramids. There are even space panoramas for a little out-of-this-world entertainment.

AirPano is a free site that allows you to wander beautiful locations all over the world. The best features of these virtual tours are choosing to take a helicopter view over the landscape or a walking trail through the area. The site also has articles about the location you are visiting and allows visitors to leave comments. If you really like a tour, you can choose to buy it as a download.

Sometimes you just want to leave this planet behind. That’s where virtual space tours come in handy. The Exoplanet Travel Bureau , powered by NASA, is here for you. You can choose an exoplanet and travel around its alien surface. Of course, the planets are artist renderings, since we haven’t actually traveled there yet, but they’re fascinating just the same. NASA at Home has many more space-themed virtual and augmented reality tours, too.

The Hidden Worlds of the National Parks is a Google project that lets you explore five different U.S. parks, including Florida’s Dry Tortugas, Hawaiian volcanoes, the Kenai Fjords in Alaska, New Mexico’s Carlsbad Caverns, and Utah’s Bryce Canyon. Each tour starts with a little history lesson about the area, and then you can dive into the 360-degree landscape. There are also audio tour guides that help you along your journey, explaining what you’re looking at and a little of its history.

Sometimes you don’t know where you want to go, and that’s OK. The Random Street View generator (powered by Google Maps ) is the answer. It will take you on a virtual stroll down a random street somewhere in the world. Be careful, though. Exploring random locations is a bit addicting. One minute you may be virtually walking down a highway in Michigan, and then with a click, you could be in an alleyway in Romania. The best part is that you get to see places that other virtual tour sites and apps don’t offer.

With Google Earth , you can go anywhere on our planet, from your hometown to the other side of the earth. You can use the website to take your journey, or use the app together with VR equipment to enhance your experience. Other than the awesome street views and ability to travel just about anywhere, you can also enhance Google Earth with your own videos and photos of places you have been in person.

If you’re an animal lover, there are many great virtual zoo exhibits that you can visit from your home. The San Diego Live Cams , for example, let you watch live footage of a wide range of animals, from baboons to penguins. Some other great animal cams can be found at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute , The Houston Zoo , and EarthCam .

There are plenty of ways to visit our fishy friends, too. The Monterey Bay Aquarium, The Georgia Aquarium, and The National Aquarium all have fantastic live webcams that allow you to watch sharks, jellyfish, stingrays, and much more.

When it comes to fine art, it’s hard to do better than a virtual tour of the Louvre . The website has a variety of tours you can take throughout the gallery, including The Galerie d’Apollon, Louvre’s Petite Galerie, and the east side of the Sully wing. When you’re finished at the Louvre, check out the virtual tours of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in South Korea , the Musée d’Orsay in Paris , and the Museu de Arte de São Paulo in Brazil .

There are also virtual tours that can take you back in time, sort of. You can see amazing exhibits of curiosities from the past, like dinosaurs, Egyptian relics, Stone Age tools, and more at The Natural History Museum in London ,  The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History , and The British Museum .

Longing for a walk in the woods or a tour through habitats that rarely see a human? No problem. There are plenty of virtual tours to satisfy you. Conservation International, for example, has a 360-degree tour through the Amazon that is narrated by an indigenous guide. Other virtual hikes you might enjoy include a trip through the redwoods at Muir Woods National Park , a stroll through the Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve, and a tour of New Zealand’s Great Walks .

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• Virtual Reality

As rival Apple is rumored to be eyeing an entrance into the metaverse, Microsoft, an early proponent of mixed and augmented reality applications, is criticized for its blurry vision behind the company's own HoloLens strategy. While HoloLens notched big early wins, including scoring a U.S. Department of Defense contract, subsequent delays, project cancellations, and high-profile executive departures may have resulted in the death of the HoloLens 3. Still, despite a scathing profile by Business Insider, it appears that Microsoft remains, at least publicly, committed to its HoloLens endeavors for now. The company has gone on record to refute the publication's reporting that HoloLens 3 has been killed.

There are a number of factors that may be causing Microsoft to pivot from its early bet on HoloLens, but the Microsoft profile cited internal divisions and the lack of a unified strategy among the top reasons for concern. As a result of the chaos, it appears that the largest collateral damage to Microsoft's infighting is the cancellation of its next-generation HoloLens 3 hardware.

Actronika, a startup company known for its HD haptics technology has a futuristic new product. Expected to be on display at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January 2022 is Skinetic, a haptic vest that should make virtual reality experiences feel a lot more realistic.

Skinetic works much as you'd expect. The wearable vest makes VR feel more immersive by bringing life-like sensations and touch-like experiences to areas of the body like the chest when paired with a compatible headset. As reported by Business Wire, the technology "works with 20 patented vibrotactile voice-coil motors, capable of generating a wide range of vibrations that cover 100% of human vibrotactile perception."

It seems that virtual reality may be about to become even more real than ever before -- all thanks to a new VR headset. Pimax, a company that manufactures VR equipment, announced the upcoming release of a new 12K QLED VR headset that will feature technologies such as eye tracking, full-body tracking, and refresh rates of up to 200Hz. The headset, dubbed Pimax Reality 12K QLED, is part of the company's venture into the metaverse and a step toward bringing true realism to using VR.

During today's Pimax Frontier event, the company's representatives talked at length about the goals behind the product -- naturalness, self-awareness, and freedom. Pimax wants to bring these qualities into virtual reality and the metaverse, allowing people from all over the world to interact and explore virtual worlds together. While VR technology already allows for some of that to happen, Pimax wants to take it to the next level with its new invention -- the Reality 12K QLED VR headset.

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Expeditions & Tour Creator are no longer available

On June 30, 2021, we deactivated the Expeditions and Tour Creator apps. They'll no longer work on your devices, and tours can’t be downloaded again after they’re gone. You can find many of the tours from Expeditions at g.co/gacexpeditions .

Find Expeditions tours on Google Arts & Culture

• On your computer: Go to g.co/gacexpeditions .

• At the top left, tap Search .
• Search for Expeditions.

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Try these next steps:.

Best VR Headsets for Schools

The best VR headsets for schools are one of the ideal ways to offer engaging and immersive learning right now

Recent updates

This article was updated in April 2024

The best VR headsets for schools are being used far more widely now. The technology is more affordable and available, while the software options are greater than ever, and growing daily.

Both virtual reality and augmented reality headsets give teachers an opportunity to offer students an immersive experience of a topic or subject. From taking a virtual trip to ancient Rome to dissecting a frog without any real animals being harmed, the possibilities are broad. Plus, this option is far more affordable and safe than the physical world alternatives. 

Many headset systems now work as a group, allowing the teacher to guide the students as they each have a personal viewing experience from their connected headset. This can mean a great focus of attention, even for students that might otherwise struggle to stay engaged in a group situation.

For this guide we're mostly looking at the best VR and AR systems for schools, used in the classroom.

Best VR headsets for schools

1. classvr: best overall.

Our expert review:

Specifications

Reasons to buy, reasons to avoid.

The ClassVR system, by Avantis, is a purpose-built VR headset and software package designed for schools. As such, these headsets are solidly constructed with a plastic shell and wide headband. Each system comes with a pack of eight, plus all the kit necessary to get up and training. Crucially, ClassVR also offers a lot of assistance with setting up the install and managing the system, if that's what the school chooses. 

The system offers plenty of educational content that is actually curriculum-aligned. Since it's all run from a centralized management system, it leaves the teacher in total control and also means you don't need more than one main computer to have it up and running. 

Since this ensures all the students see the same content at the same time, it can facilitate a group learning experience, just as with a real class trip, for example. The price is reasonable for what you get but when you compare to affordable options that work from home, it's still a commitment.

2. VR Sync: Best for Use with Multiple Headsets

VR Sync is a digital platform that can be used to send a VR experience to multiple headsets. Since this is simply the software part of that, it leaves the school free to use varying headsets. This is also a great option for a school that allows students to bring in their own headsets from home.

You can add videos, so you can make your own or use those downloaded from online. You get full 360-degree video with spatial audio for full immersion. It also offers an option to study analytics of how users interact – aimed more at business users, but it has potential for the classroom too.

Sync VR currently works with Oculus Go, Oculus Quest, Oculus Rift, Pico, Samsung Gear VR, Android, and Vive.

3. Redbox VR: Best for Content

The Redbox VR system is similar to the ClassVR setup, only this offering is created to work with Google Expeditions specifically. As such, it's an ideal way to take a class on a virtual tour of places all over the world, now and in the past.

The system comes in a box with a selection of headsets and all the kit needed for set up and keeping the system charged for use. An optional 360-degree video recording setup allows users to make their own videos – ideal for a virtual tour of the school, for example.

The system comes with a 10.1-inch tablet that allows the teacher to control the experience with ease while still remaining mobile enough to move around the class.

4. Oculus Meta Quest 3: Best Stand Alone Setup

Meta Quest 3

The Meta Quest 3, formerly Oculus, is one of the most powerful standalone headsets out there right now. While it's not specifically built for the classroom, it packs in so much power, so many features, and such a wealth of content, that it's a great classroom tool. It's not cheap, and you do need a Facebook account to get up and running, but it's worth all that for the super accurate gesture controls and more.

This is a light model, making it suitable for younger users too. Everything runs quickly and the display is crisp and high-res enough to help even those less comfortable with VR to be at ease using this headset.

5. Google Cardboard: Best Affordable Option

Google Cardboard

Google Cardboard is a very, very affordable option. At its most basic, this is a cardboard box with two lenses, and although there are many unofficial versions with plastic build and head straps for a little more, we're still talking under $25 here. 

A smartphone is required in the headset to make the magic happen, but the system is still relatively cheap and can work anywhere. A negative as not all students have powerful enough smartphones, or want to risk breaking one.

Since this is part of the Google VR system, you get lots and lots of content that's always being updated. Google Expedition offers virtual school trips all over the world and, of course, it's all free to use. Beyond that, there are educational apps and the ability to create content for viewing. Add that to Google Classroom and you have yourself a very capable VR platform.

6. Windows Mixed Reality: Best for AR

Windows Mixed Reality

Microsoft's Windows Mixed Reality is an augmented reality (AR) platform that works with Windows 10 and 11 devices and a selection of headsets. A fair amount of content is free, created by VictoryVR, but it's nothing compared to the scale of Google. That said, this is curriculum-specific content, so expect it to be useful: From virtual dissections to holographic tours, it's all very immersive.

The big sell here over a lot of VR is that this brings the virtual into the room, allowing students to have their hands recognized to interact with the virtual object as if they were really there. This is Microsoft, so don't expect it to be cheap, but there are a number of partners offering headsets, such as Dell and HP. Microsoft itself offers the Hololens 2.

Of course you can simply use a Windows 10/11 tablet with no headset for an AR experience too, as a more affordable alternative. 

7. Apple AR: Best for Visually Engaging Apps

The Apple AR offering is one that's built for use on its tablets and phones, specifically the LiDAR packing iPad Pro. Consequently, this is an expensive option when it comes to hardware. But for that outlay you get some of the most visually attractive and engaging apps designed specifically for education. 

Put a virtual civilization on a school desk or explore the stars during the day, all from a single screen. Of course, if students already own Apple devices that can help to extend the experience without cost to the school. Since this is Apple, expect plenty more apps to come and lots of free options too.

8. Vive Cosmos: Best for immersive games

Vive Cosmos

The Vive Cosmos is a super powerful VR and AR headset that comes with very sensitive and accurate gesture controllers. All that is backed by a PC connection, so high-powered experiences are possible. Plus, there is a lot of modular capability, so you can invest less up front and upgrade parts as and when you need.

The programs include Vive Arts for educational content, from pairings with the likes of the Louvre and Museum of Natural History. This allows students to build a tyrannosaurus rex, bone by bone, for example. A lot of free content is available including a virtual anatomy class, a light refraction experiment, and more.

9. Apple Vision Pro: Best for ease

Apple Vision Pro

The Apple Vision Pro is a very impressive AR contender on this list but it's low down here as it's also very, very expensive. Sure, this being Apple means it's easy to setup and use and with more and more rich content landing daily. But that also means an Apple price tag which puts this out of reach for many schools -- or at best, taking turns and sharing a headset.

Thanks to eye-tracking smarts and superb display resolutions, this is super simple to use and looks great. But it's not designed specifically for schools, so keep that in mind if you're thinking of making the investment. 

Pricing and short battery life aside, plus that heavy headset weight, this is one of the best VR experiences you can have and it will only get better, so if you can afford it, this is worth a try.

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Luke Edwards is a freelance writer and editor with more than two decades of experience covering tech, science, and health. He writes for many publications covering health tech, software and apps, digital teaching tools, VPNs, TV, audio, smart home, antivirus, broadband, smartphones, cars and much more.

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YouTube got an 8K upgrade on the Meta Quest

Enjoy crystal-clear videos if you can find them.

Update 4/18 7:45am: Made corrections regarding 360-degree video resolution and linked to some examples of 360-degree videos working in 8K on the Meta Quest 3.

What you need to know

• Version 1.54 of the official YouTube VR app on the Meta Quest now supports 8k (4320p) SDR video.
• HDR video is still limited to 4K.
• Google is likely laying the groundwork for the YouTube VR app to run at 8K on higher-resolution Android XR headsets, which will come later this year.

Google has been on a roll with YouTube VR updates lately, and the company's latest update on the Meta Quest platform now supports 8K SDR videos. As long as you're on YouTube VR app version 1.54 or higher, any non-HDR video that's been uploaded in 8K should give you the option to play it at full resolution.

Below is a screenshot of a clip from The Avengers running at 8K in the YouTube VR app on the Meta Quest 3 .

To find content in 8K, you'll just need to search for "8K videos" within the YouTube VR app. When you pull up a video, tap the video settings icon in the bottom left and select 4320p from the list of available options. Keep in mind that HDR videos will still only play at a maximum resolution of 4K for now. Below is a screenshot of what the player looks like when selecting 4320p resolution.

Note that YouTube doesn't have a ton of 8K content just yet, but the number of 8K videos on the platform is growing. If you want to see some 360-degree 8k videos, check out Hugh Hou's channel as supported 8k 360-degree content is difficult to find.

This update comes after Google updated YouTube VR for the release of the Meta Quest 3, supporting "tablet" mode so you can watch videos while still seeing the real world around you thanks to the headset's upgraded mixed reality cameras . To switch between immersive and tablet modes, just click the icon at the top of the YouTube player that looks like two arrows pointing at each other.

8K videos but no 8K headset?

But this latest update begs the question: why? The Meta Quest 3's displays look great but they aren't quite 4K resolution, let alone 8K. Regardless, I checked out a handful of videos for myself and saw that there's a notable quality difference between 4K and 8K when viewing them in headset.

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Just as with the toggles between 720p, 1080p, and 4K, each resolution increase also comes with a bitrate increase that helps reduce compression artifacts and make videos look crisper. Still, an 8K video viewed through the Meta Quest 3's fairly limited resolution won't blow you away the way a TV of the same size and full 8K resolution would.

The biggest problem right now is finding 360-degree content that also supports 8k resolution. While you'll find plenty of videos that sport these specs, the YouTube player on the Meta Quest is very picky about what 360-degree videos it will let you run at 8k.

But I surmise that this update isn't really for the Meta Quest platform at all. Instead, it's rumored that Google will be showing off Android XR at Google I/O 2024 — that's the company's upcoming special version of Android built for mixed reality headsets — and YouTube VR in 8K could be a centerpiece to the company's plans to launch an Apple Vision Pro competitor with Samsung later this year.

The Samsung XR headset is said to be launching later this year and would utilize extremely high-resolution OLED displays that could potentially take advantage of the newfound resolution boost in YouTube VR. That, alongside the Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 that's said to be powering it, could help Samsung differentiate itself from Meta's gaming-focused headsets.

It may not have an 8K display but it's got thousands of great games to play right now and it's likely more affordable than the rumored price of the upcoming Samsung headset.

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You can now watch YouTube VR videos in 8K on your Meta Quest 3

The next time you fire up YouTube VR on your Meta Quest 3 headset , you might notice a jump in quality, as the app now supports 8K resolutions. Meta announced the feature in a blog post , noting that Quest 3 users would need version 1.54 of the YouTube VR app to get the higher quality videos.

Once you've updated YouTube VR, select the settings gear icon on a video and choose 4320p or 4320p60 from the playback options to watch in 8K. Those two options are for 8K at 30fps and 8K at 60fps, respectively. While many videos include "8K" in the title, if those options aren't available in the drop down, that video isn't truly in 8K.

Also: Meta Quest 3 review: The VR headset most people should buy in 2024

Reddit users were quick to notice the improvements , with some comments calling the upgraded content "stunning" or "a huge deal for someone like me considering that I cannot travel."

8K is only available for the Quest 3 headset right now, and it's likely to stay that way. Meta didn't necessarily say YouTube VR's 8K feature was exclusive to its newest device, but given that the Quest 2 runs on an older chip, it likely doesn't have the processing power to display the higher resolution.

To this point, there hasn't been a huge amount of 8K content posted to YouTube because most viewers can't access it. 8K video creators have also been using platforms like AmazeVR and DEOVR, which have supported high quality videos for longer. 

The majority of 8K content on YouTube seems to be travel related, specifically 360-degree videos that let users look around a location as if they're there. Other apps have seen success with 8K sports and concert content. With Quest 3 users slowly getting the new YouTube VR version, it's likely we'll see some of those videos start to appear on YouTube VR as well.

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