First Steps into Google Earth VR

Five years ago in 2017, Google Earth released a VR version of their popular Google Earth web app that originally came out in 2001. (Does that make you feel old? Nah, me neither.) I didn't discover the VR version until . . . yesterday! 

I mean, at this point, who hasn't messed around with Google Earth?  You know what I'm talking about -- zooming in and out of the world, finding your hometown, looking at your home from street view, or scrolling over to a more foreign country trying to get a view at one of the many wonders of the world? But Google Earth VR is an entirely different experience, but absolutely what you'd expect at the same time.

To be honest, the 2017 models that are hobbled together are pretty spot on, but also pretty post-apocalyptic looking in a way . . . I like it! You feel a bit like a giant looking down on a Mr. Roger's esque playscape of houses and cars, or perhaps like a train hobbyist's perfect yet imperfect recreation of a landscape. 

Yesterday I took a fun look down a stretch of Japan's Coast line, just looking around for something unique and interesting, what I found was a stretch of cement that had been painted with funny fish.

Funny fish wall somewhere along Japan's coastline

A little further down the road I zoomed in deeper to a 360 street view and discovered this goofy dinosaur at some random roadside structure.

Just a random dinosaur in a weird spot along the Japanese Coastline

You know, VR is a great place not only for games, but for experiences, and I'm under the firm belief that any VR nay-sayer should try to start somewhere like this . . . Google Earth VR or The Rift or YouTube 360. All these experience-based apps are a fantastic place to begin your VR journey. Taking a VR trip is a really fun way to unwind.

To combat the vection sickness you get from moving over the top of a map, they put a vignette around the edges as you move. It's kind of brilliant because it tricks the mind that you're not flying at superman speed around the world and therefore don't want to throw up every few blocks.

There's the place that I call home

Of course, I had to go check out my own home . . . or at least what it looked like back in 2017. It appears the Street view is up to date and in Sync, but the 3D models are stuck back in the past. 

I also went back to the house I grew up in (same one featured in my "about me" Blaugust post), and took a look around there. I was a bit bummed to find out my hometown hadn't been "modeled" into 3D models and instead just had topography with a flat image map on the ground. Still looked cool though and the mountains looked amazing!

From on top of the mountains looking down on home

I also went and looked at the neighborhood for each of the Team Spode members! It's not creepy at all! It's just curiosity, right? I think it's totally natural to wonder what life is like for someone you admire and talk to every week. At least I hope that's how they see it. hehe.

A cool graffiti wall somewhere near Lord Spode's house in Portland

If you haven't had a chance to check it out, Google Earth VR is absolutely free on the oculus store and a great way to make you both feel incredibly big looking down on a small world and incredibly small looking around this big big world.

Happy Dueling!