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Facebook's most popular 360 videos of 2016
Since Facebook and YouTube implemented 360-degree videos, they have rapidly gained in popularity and the uses for the technology have steadily increased, even seeing Disney embracing 360 videos for their marketing and film making. After 360 video launched on Facebook in September last year, the social network site has seen videos that immerse people in causes, sports, fashion, nature, entertainment, news, and many other topics. Facebook have trawled through their stats to come up with the most popular 360 videos on Facebook thus far in 2016, which is sorted alphabetically below.
If you are not familiar with 360 video, the concept is that the content looks just like a normal video, but the equipment that was used to capture the video has been filmed from multiple perspectives and the content is then stitched together, meaning you can look left, right, up, down, and even behind where the content is usually filmed. You can also watch these videos on Oculus Rift and Gear VR by simply clicking “Watch in VR” in the top left corner of the video and placing the phone in the Gear VR to experience the video in an immersive VR environment.
Without further ado these are the most popular 360 videos on Facebook right now!
ABC News: 360° Tour of Times Square During Winter Storm
Topping the charts at number 1 for the most viewed 360 video in 2016 is a video from ABC News that shows people around the world what it’s like to experience a blizzard in the middle of New York City’s Times Square.
Deadpool: See Deadpool everywhere (especially in theaters)
In this video we see Deadpool all over the place in this bar – playing pool, behind the bar presumably serving drinks, and so forth. Kind of a silly (and obviously promotional) video but apparently it is popular enough to be deemed number two on Facebook’s list.
FC Barcelona: 360º Mosaic tribute to Cruyff
In this 360-degree video the viewer is transformed to the playing field where a mosaic of 90,000 cards pays tribute to late football player Johan Cruyff, who recently passed away at the age of 68 on March 24th. This video originally was released back in April and has gained a great deal of attention among Cruyff’s fans.
Game of Thrones: Game of Thrones Opening Credits 360 Video
Easily one of the coolest videos, especially experienced with a VR player like the Gear VR, this is just the normal opening of “Game of Thrones” but with a 360-degree twist. For fans of the GoT series, this gives you a unique look at the opening sequence that many of us have seen dozens of times now.
Ivete Sangalo: Eu quero o farol dos teus olhos iluminando a minha vida
What we have here is a 360 degree music video from Brazilian singer Ivete Sangalo. The hit song played here, which is particularly popular in parts of South America and Portugal, is titled “Farol”.
Liverpool FC: 360°: You’ll Never Walk Alone
Yet another video set on a football (or soccer for the Americans) field. This time we experience thousands singing the club’s iconic anthem “You’ll never walk alone”.
National Geographic: 360° Tour of a Volcanic Eruption in Kamchatka
In this 360 video we hop onto a helicopter and take a ride to Russia where we get a closer look at one of the world’s tallest active volcanoes. While the star attraction is obviously the volcano, all the scenery around it is quite breathtaking as well.
National Geographic: 360°: Swimming With Bears in Kamchatka
Swimming with bears? Probably not high up on your to do list, unless potentially getting maimed is a priority for you. Getting able to swim with them up close and personal in a 360-degree video is pretty satisfying, however.
National Geographic: 360° Tour: The “Devil’s Pool” at Victoria Falls
In the third National Geographic video to make the cut we are taken to the Devil’s Pool at Victoria falls. The narrator gives us a bit of detail about the area, and the 360 views are nothing short of amazing.
Zoolander 2: Facebook 360° Experience
This 360 degree video takes us behind the scenes with Derek Zoolander in this promotional video for Zoolander 2.
It is clear that 360 video is on the rise as a method of media consumption to provide that extra dimension to viewing video. The combination of 360 video with virtual reality really helps bring that immersive experience to the viewer. Which of the following videos was your favorite? Conversely, do you have a favorite 360 video that hasn’t been highlighted by Facebook? Drop us a comment below and let us know your favorite video of 2016 so far.
This article was originally published on our latest sister site, VR Source – you’re one stop shop for all things VR/AR.