Periscope 360-degree live streaming now available on Android

Just live streaming these days is no longer enough. People seem to be hyping up 360-degree live streaming, whether or not there are enough people with the devices to properly enjoy them. Of course, that's no reason not to let social media broadcasters do what they want or need to do, which is why Periscope introduced Live 360 video late last year. Now after months of limited testing, Twitter has opened the floodgates to iOS and Android users at long last.

The pros of 360-degree live broadcasting is that it gives the illusion of immersion, allowing viewers to really feel, or at least see, as if they were indeed there. The cons is that it is best experienced with something like a VR headset. Since it's statistically impossible for all Periscope watchers to have one, Twitter lets you pan around the scene by moving your phone around as well.

Last month, Periscope started making Live 360 videos available on iOS and now it is doing the same for Android. Viewers need not do anything special. If you see a "Live 360" badge on a video, you simply have to start viewing and moving your phone around or tap and scroll to change your angle.

Broadcasters, however, will naturally need the right cameras for the job. At the moment, only Insta360's cameras natively integrate with Periscope Live 360. That means iOS users will need an Insta360 Nano while Android users need an Insta360 Air. If, however, you decide to use Periscope Producer instead, you can also use a Ricoh Theta S or an Orah 4i.

SOURCE: Periscope