GoPro dives into virtual reality with Kolor acquisition

GoPro is going “spherical.” The world’s biggest action camera company recently announced that it has acquired a virtual reality software startup called Kolor. Kolor’s software creates immersive virtual reality videos by stitching together images and videos taken from traditional cameras, creating a single high-res panoramic (or spherical) view.

Instead of using a virtual reality headset, though, you can watch Kolor videos on phones or computers with Kolor’s 360 Video Player app. Now that GoPro owns Kolor, we’re bound to see more extreme sports footage at 360 degrees.

As part of the announcement, GoPro and Kolor released an interactive video called “Land, Air and Sea” which allows viewers to navigate through breathtaking landscapes at 360 degrees. The video was shot entirely with GoPro cameras.

CEO Nick Woodman commented on the acquisition during GoPro’s quarterly earnings call: “We see that incredible opportunity for GoPro to be at the forefront of the virtual reality movement. Given that GoPro is already the most widely used capture device for capturing life experiences in an immersive manner, it’s only natural that we have a seat at the table moving forward.”

Alexandre Jenny, CEO of Kolor, seems equally excited about the opportunities GoPro will provide them. “When the best spherical media software is combined with the world’s most versatile capture devices, our imagination become our only limitation,” Jenny said in a press release. We’re excited to see what the world captures and shares with GoPro and Kolor.”

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