GoPro Hero 6 Black Launched; Fusion Spherical Camera Arrives In November

GoPro has officially launched the GoPro Hero Black action camera and is now available worldwide for $499.99. The camera maker also announced that its GoPro Fusion spherical camera will be released in November for $699.99.

Hero 6 Black: 4K Videos At 60FPS

The new GoPro Hero 6 Black is the first action camera from GoPro that’s able to record videos in 4K at 60 frames-per-second. Recording 4K videos on cameras and smartphones is becoming more common, but the capability to shoot with 60fps resolution is rare. Apple’s iPhone 8 is officially the first smartphone that’s capable of doing the same thing.

Aside from recording 4K 60fps videos, the GoPro Hero 6 Black is also capable of shooting slow-motion at 2.7K resolution at 120fps and 1080p Full HD at 240fps. GoPro says that the Hero 6 Black also comes with superior image stabilization and improved dynamic range for better videos and photos in low lighting conditions.

The Hero 6 Black also comes with better touchscreen controls which allows users to digitally zoom in with just a touch. The action camera houses a faster Wi-Fi radio, which GoPro claims is three times faster than its predecessor. This will be very useful for the GoPro companion app on iOS and Android, and also the QuikStories app. The two apps have been updated to add support for 4K60fps videos.

All of these new features on the GoPro Hero 6 Black is made possible with the new GP1 processor. The GP1 is GoPro’s very first custom processor and marks a significant change in how the company is able to build its action cameras.

“We've finally been able to make a GoPro without compromises. We haven't had to work around somebody's else chip design and chip limitation,” GoPro founder and CEO Nick Woodman told Engadget. Woodman also teased that the GP1 processor opens up the possibility of adding new features to the Hero 6 Black through software updates.

“I think what's most exciting about GP1 is we've yet to tap its full potential. “With every new release of a new GoPro, we come out with firmware updates that unlock new features, new performance. That's especially true with Hero 6 Black,” Woodman said.

Like its predecessors, the GoPro Hero 6 Black still features the same rugged design and is still waterproof up to 33 feet. It comes with built-in GPS, accelerometer and gyroscope, and supports 10 languages for voice control.

GoPro Goes 360-Degrees

GoPro also announced that its spherical camera will finally be available in November. The GoPro Fusion is able to take 5.2K spherical videos at 30 frames per second. The Fusion is equipped with two 18MP cameras on each side making it possible for the camera to stitch two videos together to form a single 360-degree spherical video. Users can also shoot at 3K resolution at 60fps for spherical videos.

Aside from shooting 360-degree videos, GoPro has also added a new feature in the Fusion that’s called OverCapture. This feature allows users to manipulate their 360 videos to turn them into flat 1080p full HD videos, according to The Verge. Users will be able to select a single1080p frame or a still photo from the captured 360-degree image. The idea behind OverCapture is letting user shoot first worry about framing their shots later. The feature will be available through the GoPro app for iOS and Android in early 2018.

The GoPro Fusion is waterproof up to 16 feet, supports Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, and supports 10 languages for voice control. The Fusion spherical camera will include a Fusion Grip mount and the camera will also be compatible with most of GoPro’s other mounts.