Google Earth VR – Reviewing what we Like and don’t Like in VR Street View

Google Earth has been a long time favorite, gathering a lot of fans since it got released. And this is because it let people explore places they could not get to, by just sitting at their computer.

When we found out that you can finally do this but in VR version, we had to try it! You can also check Street View and see any other place where Google has taken 360 photographs. By using HTC Vive or Oculus Rift, you can actually ‘travel’ the world!

Travelling the Globe in no Time

When you put the VR device and get in Google Earth, you might be a little disappointed, but don’t worry, if you are in a big city, loading all the details will take a while.

But it will show you all the splendor of those places once it loads!

At first you will see a tutorial to walk you through the navigation and show you how to control it. When you start Google Earth, you will see the outer space with the Earth in the middle. Spinning the globe will let you choose a location and using the trackpad from the Vive controller, you can zoom to have a closer look. You can remain in fly mode and whizz over as many mountains, cities, and oceans as you can find.

You can also search for a location to get there quickly. For example, you can stand at the top of Mount Everest or Fly in New York City.

With this new option, Google Earth becomes more popular, as visiting the whole globe from your own house is quite amazing.

A thing that we didn’t like is that you don’t have too much freedom in Street View, like you would in Google Maps. We love this tool even more, now that you see everything from a first-person view. Also, being a free tool, Google Earth is a must for those who bought a VR headset, be it HTC Vive or Oculus Rift.

You can download Google Earth VR for free on Steam.