YouTube will now let you broadcast live surround video

YouTube wants to make digital video feel as real as possible.

The company will now allow 360-degree livestreaming videos, including a big debut of the new feature with broadcasts from the Southern California music festival Coachella.

"Today's kids dreaming of going to a basketball game or a concert can access those experiences firsthand, even if they're far away from the court," YouTube exec Neal Mohan writes in a blog post on the news. "What were once limited experiences are now available to anyone, anywhere, at any time."

The video sharing site is also launching "spatial audio" which will allow you to hear different depth, distance, and intensities in sound.

YouTube introduced 360 videos last March and livestreaming back in 2011, but the combination of the two comes as Google continues to up its focus on virtual reality. It currently sells low-cost Cardboard VR headsets, which work with smartphones to create a super-cheap virtual reality experiences, but is reportedly working on another device.

To try to get more YouTube creators to make these kinds of videos, Google has outfitted its eight YouTube Spaces studios around the world with 360 cameras and audio technology.

Live and 360 video is a particularly hot topic right now, with Facebook putting a huge emphasis on live video and 360 experiences, although the social network has not enabled live, 360 videos like YouTube has.