Explore the world with Google Earth VR on Oculus Rift

The Google Earth revamp isn't just focused on the web and mobile crowds -- there are a few perks for virtual reality fans as well. Google has updated Earth's free VR experience to support the Oculus Rift headset and its Oculus Touch controllers. You no longer need HTC's Vive to fly over landscapes, including 27 new ones like Germany's Neuschwanstein Castle or South Africa's Table Mountain. It'll no doubt seem familiar if you've tried it before, but there is big interface update to go along with the widened hardware support.

All VR users now have the option to search for locations by typing on a virtual keyboard. It's definitely not going to be as fast as punching in an address on your phone, but it will let you fly over any location at a moment's notice instead of having to navigate there first. In other words, Google Earth just became decidedly more functional. It's not so much a pure tech showcase (though it can certainly be used as such) as it is a tool for exploring the planet in an immersive way.