The Panoporter gives you a 360-degree view of your world

As we approach the inevitable rise of VR we’re going to need some better cameras. The $109 Panoporter might be just the thing.

This 1080p device features a single camera and a clever lens system that takes a 360-degree view without multiple cameras. It includes videoconferencing and chat features and can also act as a 360-degree security camera so you can see an entire room, not just the door or other exciting attractions.

Because the system is so simple it costs far less than similar devices but, obviously, you can’t take it out into the woods or to the top of a clock tower. It is designed more as a home networking IP cam than a true 360-degree action camera.

It includes an SD card slot and can stream directly to your phone via an included app. It ships in May and is halfway to its $30,000 goal. It’s an interesting idea at just about the right price and could mean the difference between seeing your puppy chew up your shoes via your home security camera and only hearing the carnage off-screen. The choice, as they say, is yours.