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Lenovo’s $300 Mirage Camera, which shoots 180-degree VR video, is now available

Lenovo’s $300 Mirage Camera, which shoots 180-degree VR video, is now available

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Lenovo’s Mirage Camera officially introduces Google’s new VR format

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Lenovo Mirage Camera for VR streaming
Image: Lenovo

Google’s VR180 format was announced almost a year ago, and now, the new, 180-degree VR videos are starting to roll out in actual products. First up is Lenovo’s $299 Mirage Camera, which became the first VR180 camera to hit the market when it launched last week.

The Mirage Camera features two 13-megapixel cameras that can take stereoscopic images and videos in the VR180 format. It’s designed to be easier to shoot and watch than traditional, 360-degree VR videos by offering a little less to look at. While the Lenovo camera is the first to support Google’s new VR format, the hope is that other companies will jump on board in the future, cementing it as a standard for VR going forward.

Alongside the launch of the Mirage Camera, Google also released a new VR180 app for both iOS and Android (via TechCrunch) that is designed to help users configure, manage, and upload VR180 content to Google Photos and YouTube, along with providing the option to stream VR180 videos live on YouTube.