YouTube announced on a blog post on April 18, Monday that users can now live-stream 360-degree videos. The new feature gives the video-streaming site's users a virtual reality (VR) experience as though they were at the live events. In March the Google-owned company launched 360 degree videos that could be viewed on smartphones or a VR headset, but live streams were not available.

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YouTube has teamed up with 360-video companies that produce software for stitching content from multiple cameras into a single seamless video. The 360 video can be live-streamed using a PC, special software, and 360-video camera.

YouTube also announced it is launching spatial audio for its videos. The video-sharing site explains that it provides a real-world experience that combines depth, intensity, and distance, according to Digital Trends. Android users can watch videos with spatial audio included on a playlist.

Google and YouTube have been focusing on 360-degree video and virtual reality during the past year. Next month the search giant will likely focus on VR at the Google I/O developer conference.

The announcement by Google executive Neal Mohan about YouTube's new video features follows Facebook's F8 developer conference. At the yearly event the social giant unveiled its 360-degree camera and plans to expand live-streaming, according to The Verge.

The tech giants are competing to develop a totally immersive experience that sends VR fans to a new world. YouTube is using 360 content as a bridge between regular videos and virtual reality.

Mohan points out that that YouTube videos just need a mobile app to view 360 videos. He notes that no fancy equipment is required, which is a jab at Facebook's Oculus Rift headset that costs about $600, and requires a gaming PC that costs $1,000.

In fact, YouTube's Live 360 works with cameras with price tags as low as $350. That is about 2 percent of the cost to build the $17,000 open-source camera Facebook unveiled at F8.

In addition, YouTube is releasing an API so all hardware makers can make their products compatible with Live 360. The company is also shipping 360 cameras to its content providers so they can start experimenting with the new feature.

Here's a 360-degree Star Wars video: