【Taste of Future Sister-in-law (2023)】

Never have Taste of Future Sister-in-law (2023)I uttered the phrase "holy f—k" so many times in one virtual reality session. That's how amazing the new Google Earth VR is when you experience it using the HTC Vive.

This is the Google Earth experience I've been waiting for.

SEE ALSO: 'The Martian VR Experience' comes to PlayStation VR and HTC Vive

Offered as a free download in the Steam VR store, Google Earth VR starts out by offering tours of various cities around the globe. Yes, dotake those tours: You'll need a primer before you test out your new, godly VR powers.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Using an HTC Vive controller, you can click and drag your way through megalopolises like Tokyo and New York, towering over 3D Google Earth renderings of the cities that give you the sense of what Godzilla must feel like when stomping his way through the streets of Shibuya.

But that's just the start. Once you're done with the tour, it's time to flex your planet spanning muscles independently. When you're ready, the experience puts you in the middle of outer space, standing among the stars, looking at Earth as Marvel's Galactus might as he considers sapping our planet of its natural resources.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

But while your mission is far more benign, the feeling of power is nevertheless immense, as the Vive controller lets you point at any area on the planet and drag the globe to find where you want to look next. Once you've picked a spot on the planet, you simply press Forward to dive down into a spot or Back to fly back into the sky and watch the cities and mountains shrink under your feet.

It's not incredibly interactive beyond looking and viewing, but it's easily one of the most powerful VR experiences I've had in recent memory. This is how supervillians tour the planet in science fiction movies, only this is 100 percent real. If you have an HTC Vive, don't even think about waiting: download and try this now.

---

Featured Video For You

---

People try Google's new $80 Daydream View VR headset for the first time

---

Topics Virtual Reality

(Editor: {typename type="name"/})