GoPro VR Player (formerly Kolor Eyes Desktop) is a free 360 degree video player for Windows and OS X.

A stripped-back interface makes it very easy to use. There’s no button-packed toolbar or nested right-click menu, just drag and drop your video and it starts playing immediately.

The core controls are all very intuitive. You’ll click and drag to look around, spin the mouse wheel to zoom in and out, or tap and pinch on touch-enabled systems.

The Preferences dialog has some useful controls and settings. In particular, the Output Projection settings define how the video is shown. Switch from the default GoPro VR Player to “Fisheye” or “Little Planet” for a spectacular wraparound sphere-type look.

Interact with 360 degree videos on your desktop

There’s another small extra hidden away in the Open dialog. As well as opening local files, you can paste in a URL to download and view that video. (This doesn’t do anything much – it’s not a YouTube downloader, for instance – but it be handy occasionally.)

GoPro VR Player can also recognise and work with your Oculus Rift, as long as your desktop has the appropriate software installed. If there are problems, click Help > Software Log for diagnostic details which might offer some clues.