The Opera browser now supports 360-degree videos in virtual reality headsets. This new developer update comes with a built-in VR 360 player for leading headsets such as HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and other OpenVR compatible devices, unlocking the immersive world of 360-degree videos for Opera users.

In a statement, Opera said: “The rapid growth of the 360 videos and soon WebVR bring an exciting revolution for VR content on the web. However, with limited software support, it has been difficult for VR headset owners to easily enjoy the fast growing library of 360-degree content on Youtube, Facebook and other video portals.  So far they had to use inconvenient workarounds: download the video first, including spending time on finding a “download” button and waiting for the download, then quit the browser and launch a separate player app. It wastes time and bandwidth on blindly downloading a video. Sounds ancient.

“We want to bring the best web experience to our users. That’s why Opera has begun to focus on creating and embedding direct VR playback into the browser. This functionality enables users to watch virtual reality videos, and standard 2D videos, instantly through their VR headsets.”

The newest Opera developer version comes with VR 360 player feature enabled and will automatically detect an installed VR headset. When a user browses to a video, a button above the video labeled ‘Watch in VR’ will appear. One simple click will engulf the viewer into the 360-degree world offered by the video.

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