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The Best Virtual Tours On YouTube

2020 has been an atypical year full of unique challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused us to reevaluate many aspects of our personal lives, from how we communicate with our families and friends to how we work and stay safe when we leave the house.

After many months of confinement, now that summer’s here, we all want to go out and rediscover the world. However, the appearance of new outbreaks means that for many, travel is still a distant dream that will have to wait until there is a vaccine. Does that mean you can’t do any sightseeing when you’re on vacation this year?

Fortunately, there are a number of interesting ways to visit some of the most amazing places on the planet without leaving your living room or spending a dime! No, we’re not crazy, we’re talking about virtual tours you can do online. You can walk in the Scottish Highlands, visit the Ghibli Museum in Japan, or discover the glaciers of Iceland from your PC or phone. Do you find that hard to believe?

In today’s article, we’re going to share what we consider to be the most interesting virtual tours on YouTube today. We hope you find them helpful!

How to take advantage of virtual tours on YouTube

To enjoy these virtual tours on YouTube, you only need an internet connection, but to take full advantage of them, we recommend getting a VR headset that’s compatible with your phone. That way you can immerse yourself in your chosen destination, and when you move your head, the video will move at the same time.

There is a wide selection of virtual reality headsets for your phone with affordable prices. You can check out the best deals on Amazon here.

If you’re a PC user, you can also enjoy these videos to the fullest by purchasing a compatible virtual reality headset. They are a lot more expensive, but they offer a far more realistic and immersive experience.

The best undersea virtual reality tours

Want to go underwater and explore the fauna in coral reefs? There are some excellent virtual reality tours of amazing places such as Manta Point, the star location for scuba diving in Bali, or the Glen Nusa shipwreck. In fact, you can even swim among sharks without leaving your living room. Interested?

360° Coral reefs

Scuba diving at Manta Nusa Penida (Bali)

Scuba diving at the Glen Nusa wreck

360° Coral reef with sharks

Underwater national park at Buck Island Reef

The best virtual tours of the USA

Now that the US border is closed to the vast majority of the world, the best way to enjoy the United States is through a virtual tour. You can visit the Grand Canyon, go hiking in Yosemite Park, or enjoy well-known museums like the Metropolitan Museum of Art or the Smithsonian Natural History Museum.

The Grand Canyon

https://youtu.be/lxhTjldcHrY

Go hiking in Yosemite Park

Visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Visit the rest of the Metropolitan Museum of Art by clicking this link.

Visit the Smithsonian Natural History Museum

Visit NASA

Visit the rest of NASA by clicking this link.

The best virtual tours of Iceland

Iceland, the paradise of fire and ice, is another incredible destination for tourism without leaving your sofa. Here you can enjoy icy landscapes, the Northern Lights, and an underwater paradise. How does that sound?

Visit Iceland’s glaciers

Take a diving tour of the Melckmety shipwreck

Experience the amazing Northern Lights

The best virtual tours of Africa

An exceptional destination for nature and wildlife lovers, Africa is home to some of the most astonishing and majestic animals on the planet. Discover the magic of Kenya and Tanzania, or the magnificent Victoria Falls in Zambia-Zimbabwe.

12 Virtual safaris in Africa

Watch the rest of the safaris by clicking here.

Fly over Victoria Falls

The best virtual tours of Australia

Although it has been severely affected by forest fires, Australia is still a green paradise that attracts millions of visitors a year. You can visit the paradisiacal Hamilton Island, attend an opera, or enjoy the lights at the Vivid festival in the heart of Sydney without leaving your living room.

Visit Hamilton Island and go scuba diving

Discover Sydney’s magical Vivid festival

Visit the Sydney Opera House

Fly over Australia’s Great Barrier Reef

Explore Kangaroo Island

The best virtual tours of New Zealand

Previously visited by few, New Zealand has become a hot tourist destination thanks to the Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit. Its stunning landscapes and wilderness are a few of its many strong points. Want to discover it?

Explore Weta Cave (Weta Workshop)

Stroll through the city of Wellington

Visit New Zealand’s most beautiful landscapes

The best virtual tours of the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom is one of the world’s most popular tourism destinations. It has cosmopolitan cities, stunning natural landscapes, and fascinating historical sites. If you’ve always wanted to stroll through the streets of London, visit Cornwall, or enjoy the beauty of Newcastle, don’t miss these tours.

Visit London and its main points of interest

Tour the top tourist sites of England

Visit Buckingham Palace

Stroll through Camden Town

Ride the colossal London Eye

Visit the Tower of London

The best virtual tours of Italy

Considered to be the cradle of art, Italy has been the birthplace of many great poets, painters, and sculptors. Enjoy its views and beaches, and don’t miss the opportunity to visit some of its best-known monuments from the comfort of your armchair.

Tour the Venice Carnival

Discover the Colosseum

Tour the city of Rome

Discover Cinque Terre National Park

Visit Florence

The best virtual tours of France

If you have always dreamed of spending a day in the “city of love,” touring the Champs-Élysées or visiting the Louvre… Why not use your vacation this year to do just that? You can go to the top of the Eiffel Tower or enjoy the Palace of Versailles without spending a euro.

Go to the top of the Eiffel Tower

Visit Paris

See the Mona Lisa

Visit the top sightseeing spots in Paris

The best virtual tours of China

China is a country full of charm and tradition with many sights to see. From Shanghai and Hong Kong to the Great Wall of China, hours of adventures await you, and you can enjoy them today without taking the long plane flight!

Visit the Great Wall of China

Visit the city of Shanghai

Cross the Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge

Fly over the Guilin Mountains

Visit some panda bears

Discover Hong Kong

The best virtual tours of the Amazon

Considered the lungs of the planet, the Amazon is the perfect destination for adventurous, nature-loving travelers. If you enjoy beautiful scenery but are not up for braving the dangers of the jungle… Why not take a virtual tour on YouTube? Here are the ones we like the most:

Go deep into the heart of the Amazon

Tour the Amazon

Learn the secrets of the Amazon with a local guide

The best virtual tours of Japan

Japan is a magical destination full of history, beauty, and charm. Here, you’ll find big cities like Tokyo and idyllic villages with spectacular natural scenery. Whether you’re a fan of manga and video games or want to learn more about Japan’s thousand-year-old culture and lifestyle, you’ll love these videos.

Visit the top sightseeing destinations in Japan

Tour 12 emblematic places in Tokyo

Discover Shinjuku

Relax in some of the best spots in Tokyo (in 3D)

Enjoy the Cherry Blossom Festival in Tokyo

Have a blast in Akihabara

Visit the temples of Kyoto

Visit Studio Ghibli

Click here to watch the rest of the Studio Ghibli videos.

The best virtual tours of Germany

Germany is the perfect destination if you love art and especially music. Here, you can visit cosmopolitan, historic cities like Berlin, or see the amazing Neuschwanstein Castle, straight out of a fairytale. How does that sound?

Spend a day in Berlin

Fly over Neuschwanstein Castle

Visit Cologne

Tour the South of Germany and the Black Forest

Discover Hamburg

The best virtual tours of Spain

Last but not least, Spain has hundreds of beautiful spots that you probably have yet to visit. Why not take advantage of your vacation to take a trip around the country?

Visit Cadiz and Seville

Spend a day in Barcelona

Take a Barcelona bus tour

Check out the Sagrada Familia

Relax in Park Güell

Visit Madrid (3D)

Discover the Alhambra of Granada

Climb the Picos de Europa

Take a tour of Lloret de Mar

We hope you liked our selection of virtual tours on YouTube. Is there anywhere special you would like to visit this summer? Tell us about it in the comments section!

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What’s new with Xbox VR?

When will Microsoft jump into VR?

Virtual Reality holds great promise for the world of gaming, which centers on the ability to escape into new worlds and live through crazy stories from the comfort of your own home. This new technology has the power to place you directly into the world of your chosen game.We find this quite exciting!

Right now, Sony’s PlayStation VR runs the console virtual reality market:

When PS4 began selling their VR set, reportedly at profit from the start, all eyes turned to Microsoft’s Xbox, the PS4’s main competitor (because let’s face the facts, Nintendo does what it wants and won’t adopt VR for a while). Will Microsoft ignore VR altogether? Develop a competing product? If so, what will they make?

With these questions in mind, we decided to pursue the latest news on…

What’s new with Xbox VR?

Why is it so important?

A quick story: we tried VR with the Oculus Go, Facebook‘s mobile headset. The graphics? Excellent. The movement-tracking lag? Nearly nonexistent. Oculus made an excellent mobile product, they’re going great places!

However…the Go itself wasn’t for us.

Why? You can play around with YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, etc., but the experiences didn’t grab us much more than a normal TV. We wanted something more immersive, where we could walk through a world and interact with the environment, a story. For these reasons, we believe:

VR may not be the future of gaming, but gaming is the future of VR.

And AR is probably just the future-future, but that’s a whole other beast.

So, what’s the news?

At this time, we can say with some assurance there hasn’t been recent news since the summer of 2018.

There it is, no sugar coating.

However…this fact can be interpreted a few ways. Depending on what source you look at, whether the 2017 blog post by Microsoft employee Alex Kipman or the 2018 interview with Microsoft chief marketing officer Mike Nichols, there are two ways to look at this:

Microsoft will pursue VR, but wait until they have a good partner and the next generation of console technology emerges.
Microsoft has abandoned VR. They decided that, in Nichols’ words, “…The PC is probably the best platform for more immersive VR and MR.”

Frankly, while the interview with Mike Nichols happened more recently and bears far more weight considering his position, we aren’t going to discount Xbox VR quite yet: many of these statements were made during the first generation of virtual reality, when the technology was still young.

While we don’t expect Xbox to roll out a headset at E3 this year, we wouldn’t be surprised if PS4 hints at an improved VR setup. And there’s the rub:

PS4 VR proves the market for console VR exists.

Soon enough, headsets will be made cheaper, better, and faster. The main complaint – the inability to play without a physical connection – will vanish as wireless VR becomes the norm. (In fact, Facebook’s Oculus Quest will provide a wireless experience at the end of this month.) When wireless VR becomes more popular, we firmly believe that Xbox will reconsider virtual reality. Still…

Conclusion

At this time, expect nothing new from Microsoft VR. Clearly, development plans have been tabled for the time being and Xbox fans are out of luck. If you want a good triple-A virtual reality game like Skyrim, Borderlands 2, or Resident Evil 7, you’ll have to settle for a PlayStation or PC.

In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled for E3 2019. While we don’t expect an announcement, questions and updates are practically inevitable.

Thanks for reading! And to our Xbox fans: wishing you luck and patience!

Google Cardboard VR apps to download ASAP

Looking for something to do with that VR headset? Check these out!

Virtual reality is everywhere these days, but shelling out for an Oculus Rift might be a pricey investment if you’re a VR novice. Google Cardboard, though not the flashiest headset, is the perfect entry point into 3D gaming.

Now, before you start exploring the library, you should download the actual Cardboard app:

Google Cardboard download free ►

The app helps you set up a viewer and get familiar with the VR landscape. Plus there are some cool experiences built right in — from a tour of the Northern Lights to an Urban Hike. This lets viewers walk around the world’s greatest cities.

If you’re looking for a cheap VR option, this can be your answer. If you’re looking for something else, we’ve still got you covered:

3 ways to use VR without paying for an expensive headset

Find out now ►

After you’ve learned the ropes, you’ll likely want to broaden those virtual horizons.

Below, we’ve compiled a list of the best apps you can download for Google Cardboard. Whether you’re up for a bone-chilling horror game or just chilling with friends.

Best Google Cardboard VR apps

vTime

A real step up from Second Life, vTime is a VR app designed for socializing in immersive, virtual destinations. The app is device-agnostic and has a lot in common with traditional social media apps. Users create an avatar and customize their profile. From there, you can chat with friends, family, and strangers.

While this does just look like a digital hangout — you’re dropping yourself into a video game landscape. vTime also allows you to share photos and videos from your camera roll with your digitized pals.

vTime isn’t exactly the kind of app that creates an adventure. It’s a more sedentary experience. You and your pals can hang around a campfire, on a rooftop, or on top of your photo album.

vTime XR Download now ►

Netflix VR

“Netflix and chill” may have a whole new meaning.

Even though no one talks about it, Netflix has had a VR offering for quite a while now. The Netflix VR app lets users watch content through the cardboard headset through two different viewing modes.

One is a zoomed-out view of a living room and the other is just the content. The second mode takes away the living room environment and plops you right into the next episode of “Stranger Things” or “Bojack Horseman.”

Netflix has yet to release any 3D Netflix Originals, but you can watch everything in the catalog through your headset. Hopefully, we’ll see some VR content soon. In the meantime, the immersive viewing experience is still pretty cool.

Netflix VR Download Free ►

Sisters

Don’t play this game with a full bladder.

Sisters VR is a horror game that’s been around for a few years but still holds up as one of the best entries in the Google Play store.

The ghost story takes place in a Victorian mansion, loaded with creepy portraits, dusty furniture, and plenty of jump scares.

While Sisters is an entry-level game, it’s the perfect way to get used to Google Cardboard and get your horror fix.

Sisters Download Free ►

10 most terrifying survival horror games

Read Now ►

Star Wars VR

Now you can find a wretched hive of scum and villainy in VR!

More than a game, Star Wars VR is fans’ mobile connection to the franchise. There’s a big trivia component built-in and it’s a go-to source for announcements and new content.

This VR experience transports you to the Jakku Desert from “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” as a resistance agent. Hone your lightsaber skills in the immersive Star Wars universe, unlock 3D characters, and take selfies from inside the app.

Star Wars Download Free ►

Frame-by-frame breakdown of the Star Wars Episode IX trailer

Discover the secrets ►

CINEVR

Why go to the movies when you can experience the theater from the comfort of home?

CINEVR aims to bring the movie-going experience to you with a realistic 3D movie theater with customizable lighting effects to boot.

You can watch movies through the app from various streaming sources and invite up to eight friends to watch with you. You can talk over the movie and send emoji reactions.

CINEVR Download Now ►

Watch streaming movies with friends using Rabb.it

Read Now ►

Minos Starfighter VR

Minos Starfighter VR is a first-person space shooter with Android graphics that rival PlayStation quality.

Players fight off enemy ships in waves and shoot them down using a trigger button from your Bluetooth or USB controller. If you don’t have a controller, no big deal. You’ll also have the option to play using gaze navigation.

While the premise of Minos Starfighter is standard arcade fare, experiencing the flight simulation in VR breathes new life into the classic style.

Minos Starfighter Download Now ►

Google Expeditions

Google’s Expeditions is a VR field trip app that makes learning fun. The app used to be exclusively available to teachers and their students. However, now anyone with Cardboard (or Daydream) can sign up for the field trip, too.

Okay, it’s actually pretty cool. Adventurers can visit the International Space Station, the African Plains, the Great Barrier Reef, or another planet. You can choose to be a leader, which means you’re given information to present to a group. You can be a tour guide in a museum, or you can be an adventurer and let someone else do the talking.

The app will pair you with people on the same Wi-Fi network if you’re a solo explorer, you can just join a tour.

Google Expeditions Download Now ►

Wrapping up

If you haven’t tried virtual reality yet, Google Cardboard is just $15 and offers a low-stakes intro into VR. Whether you’re into exploring the world from home, hanging out with friends, or up for an adventure, Cardboard is a great way to find out if VR is up your alley. And hey, if you happen to get motion sickness, it’s no major hit to the wallet.

Scientists create gloves that let you ‘touch’ virtual objects

Imagine feeling an object that’s not even in the room with you. The future is now.

Photo by École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

The lines between the real world and the virtual world become more blurred every day.

Researchers at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne have revealed their design for an “ultralight” pair of gloves that allow users to “feel” virtual objects. A video describing the gloves can be seen below:

Basic prototypes of virtual tactile feedback technology have been developed in the past, but they were always bogged down by their massive bulky exoskeletons and power sources. The EFPL’s ultralight gloves are very light and flexible, weighing just 8 grams per finger. (That’s half as heavy as a CD.) The energy required to power the gloves is incredibly small, needing only a small few-milliWatt battery.

The lightness of the glove highlights its form, as it’s designed to feel as natural and unintrusive as possible. In order to simulate grasping and feeling a virtual object, metal bars inside the fingers of the gloves connect and stop the fingers from moving. Basically, instead of simulating movement, the gloves simulate the blocking of movement. By adjusting the tension of the fingers (which can apply up to 40 Newtons of force) the gloves can simulate the feeling of hard, solid objects like cups or soft, more malleable objects like sponges.

Top 10 Apple Watch features

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The possible applications of these gloves are numerous. Obviously, the first thing that comes to mind is video games, as these gloves would significantly enhance the immersion of VR games. Currently, no similar technology exists in the video gaming market. It’s not quite “Ready Player One,” but it’s a step in the right direction.

Additionally, the gloves could be used to help medical students practice complex and precise operations such as surgery.

The researchers are hoping to develop similar technology for other parts of the body after the gloves are completed. Imagine being able to “cuddle” a baby in another country or arm-wrestle with The Rock from the comfort of your couch. The possibilities are endless.