Matterport makes over 250,000 of its digital tours VR ready

Thanks to companies like Oculus, HTC and Google, 360-degree experiences are becoming a lot more mainstream. Having been on the 3D bandwagon for a number of years, Matterport is now taking the time to open up its vast collection of tours to all. To coincide with the launch of CoreVR, a platform that makes it easy to turn its Street View-like shots into virtual reality experiences, Matterport has made its new technology available in 250,000 Spaces, potentially letting you tour a Star Trek movie set, traditional Maori village or the first ever Boeing 737 with only your smartphone and a VR headset.

Matterport says that at launch, its VR app will come with gallery of "150 real world places" and will be supported by Google Cardboard and Samsung's Gear VR. The remaining 250,000 spaces can be accessed via its 3D Showcase app, with more being converted to VR over time as publishers enable the option on their existing tours.

In a bid to further expand its digital catalog, the company is letting companies add their own VR experiences for free for the rest of the year, letting you take tours of places that haven't yet or won't make it into Google's Street View collection.