Live 360 Theatre and Opera coming to Google

Google is getting in on the 360 degree video craze and will be presenting all kinds of live events as though you were there in the room

360 degree video is here, with affordable cameras able to capture the action from every angle at once, and readily available products like YouTube able to present them to the audience. Add a cheap Virtual Reality display like Google Cardboard and you can leap right into the VR future with wild abandon.

That's pretty much what Google wants, and they're going to be creating a huge amount of content to draw users in over the coming months and years. One initiative comes from the Google Cultural Institute (which is totally a thing) which is set to work with 60 performing arts groups around the world to bring live performances to your eyes and ears, in full 360 degree vision.

They'll be getting involved with venues like Carnegie Hall and working with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Berlin Philharmonic. You can see samples of acts like these on the site right now, and plenty more will be added soon. You'll be able to attend an event as though you were there, sitting in the best seat in the house and with the ability to look wherever you want, and you won't get into trouble if you do steal a glance at your phone.

Soon, we won't ever have to leave the house - hooray!