Roundme’s panoramic photo app jumps on iOS virtual reality rush

None of the big virtual reality headsets are out for consumers yet, but that’s not stopping developers from getting support in place now.

Roundme is a free iOS app that enables you to explore real-world places through connected 360-degree panoramic photos, and it just added support for virtual reality. This new feature requires the Google Cardboard VR device (for now), which you can order online from a number of vendors for as low as $7. And with virtual and augmented reality potentially reaching $150 billion by 2020, it’s probably smart to start getting support in place now.

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Cardboard is a barebones “VR headset” that you have to fold together yourself so that it can hold your smartphone. It comes with the lenses and a magnetized button, and then your phone does the rest of the work. It’s not as mind-blowing as something like Oculus Rift or HTC and Valve’s Vive, but it’s inexpensive and available now. And it has developers willing to spend resources on adding VR support to their apps.

Roundme can prove that its concept works for VR right now with Cardboard. Then it can add new features and improvements so that it’s ready to support something like Oculus Rift when it officially launches.

Roundme’s panoramic “spaces” already include several locations photographed by professionals that you can explore in VR. You can check out a restaurant in Kiev, Ukraine or visit an amazing villa in South Africa.

Of course, you can also make your own Roundme spaces and share them with your friends. It’s easy to imagine a tech-savvy realtor busting out a Google Cardboard headset to let homebuyers quickly see what it’s like to look around dozens of houses without having to drive around all day.

That future is happening now.