With the world poised for the first major wave of consumer virtual reality headsets, plenty of video services are displaying their intentions to provide content. Now photo website Flickr is getting in on the act, announcing that it will be encouraging users to post 360-degree panoramic pictures that are compatible with VR headsets.

Users wearing a headset, such as the Oculus Rift coming early next year, can view specified 360-degree photos and moves their heads to look around the still vista. When they want to go to the next image, the user looks down for a second or two.

The prospective feature was demonstrated at the XOXO Festival in Portland, using an older Oculus Development Kit 2 connected to a PC. The eventual plan is to have a VR button on Flickr that takes the user to a section that aggregates all of the 360-degree images other users post.

Flickr's Bertrand Fan told Engadget that many are already posting 360-degree photographs in preparation and that it is a "burgeoning community". There will eventually be a dedicated section on the site devoted to the pictures.

It is likely that the feature will roll-out around the same time as headsets become more commercially available, early next year.