Essential’s camera accessory now supports Facebook Live streaming in 360 degrees

Vjeran Pavic

The Essential Phone shipped earlier this year with an optional 360-degree camera accessory, but it didn’t really do more than take 4K spherical videos and photos. Now, Essential’s updated the mod to support 360-degree live-streaming, with Facebook Live as its first partner and Twitter’s Periscope to come.

To stream in 360 degrees on Facebook, you’ll need to go live from within the 360 Degree app, then log on to Facebook to start the stream. The camera is capable of supporting spatial audio, which means viewers can turn in various angles to hear more (or less) of a certain sound coming from a different direction. It can also support streaming in either 4K or 2K, which users can select before going live. In a blog post detailing today’s update, Essential additionally offers ways to upload 360-degree content shot on the camera to various media platforms like YouTube and Vimeo.

Essential’s 360-degree camera accessory is sold separately from the Essential Phone itself, though if you buy it with the phone, the camera will be discounted by $20.