train

The arrival of virtual reality could best be described as imminent. With the increasing number of VR headsets coming to market soon and smartphones that are basically VR devices in our pockets, we’re almost getting to the point where starving to death in a game due to addiction actually seems possible. And that is awesome! Well, kind of awesome…

And there may be no better proof of this than a pair of recently released videos featuring a ride on a model train with a complete 360-degree view that you can control throughout the entirety of both videos. This might sound silly, but you’ll have to trust us, it’s actually very cool!

train2

First, we should clarify one point: 360-degree videos aren’t technically virtual reality — but they are an essential part of the virtual reality experience. It turns out that as long as you’re viewing the two videos below with Google’s Chrome browser, you can grab the video with your mouse and look around. It’s kind of like a video game, but with actual video.

So, why are we talking about virtual reality? Well, if you have an Android phone, you can also pull these videos up on the YouTube app and move your phone around to look around inside the video. With Google Cardboard, you can even turn your phone into a virtual reality headset! Even without Cardboard, you can just hold your phone up in front of your face and look around.

Your co-workers will definitely laugh their asses off at you, but it will be worth it!

While the video quality isn’t necessarily the best, it is a 360-degree video streaming over the Internet! We think it looks pretty good all things considered. And it’s a lot more fun than Bjork’s video was! It’s just too bad Ant-Man didn’t make a cameo…

If you’re wondering how the video was made, the tweet below offers a quick explanation.

“We placed a 360-degree camera on a Plarail [plastic rail] train car and ran it through this skyscraper layout. Then, we immediately rendered it and viewed it through an Oculus Rift. It was like looking out the window — it’s super futuristic! It felt so extreme!”

It is extremely futuristic! It’s crazy to think about how powerful the little rectangles in our pockets are, but you can get just about a full virtual realty experience from the same thing you use to slice animated fruit while pooping at work.

The future is here and it’s on track to make model trains super cool!

Um, well, at the very least, the future is here.

Sources: YouTube (Toru Watanabe) via Netorabo
Images: YouTube (Toru Watanabe)