The VLC media player is slated to receive a major update that could usher its entry into the virtual reality platform. The team behind the popular video player announced that VLC will soon support 360-degree videos.

VideoLan, the team behind VLC, said that the firm teamed up with Giroptic, which is a 360-degree camera maker. The two firms worked together in developing the VLC system, which can now display photos, panoramas, and videos in 360-degree format.

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VideoLan said that Giroptic provided the necessary video and code samples, as well as cameras in order to upgrade the VLC player to support 360-degree videos, according to Android Headlines.

Furthermore, Giroptic reportedly provided its assistance completely for free as part of the company's effort to further develop the global adoption of 360-degree video contents, according to Engadget.

The desktop version of VLC player is expected to receive the update later this month, with the Android version of VLC expected to receive the same update sometime next year. As part of its transition to the VR platform, VideoLan said that VLC player will soon support virtual reality headsets like HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, and Google Daydream.

VideoLan said that VLC 360 is still a work in progress and added that users who try it out should be warned that some of the features are still riddled with bugs.

Meanwhile, the preview of the new feature is now available for the Windows and Mac versions of VLC, while the full version, VLC 3.0, is expected to roll out before the end of the month. 

TagsVLC, media player, vlc update, 360-degree video, VR, Virtual Reality, vlc media player