Ricoh, makers of the camera line dubbed "the iPod of 360 shooters," has entered the live streaming territory with its new camera called the Rico R. It is the company's first spherical camera that has the capability to live stream without a bunch of workarounds.

Announced at the Consumer Electronics Show, the Ricoh R Development Kit is expected to launch Q2 2017 for developers who want to integrate the camera into their own product. The new camera looks like a rugged version of the Theta S, and much like it, it uses two lenses and real-time stitching software to capture immersive videos.

According to The Verge, the camera can live stream 360-degree footage for up to 24 hours when hooked up to an outlet. Unlike the Ricoh Theta S, the Ricoh R has a simple setup that can use either HDMI or USB connections.

When connected to the internet and a power outlet, the Ricoh R can shoot stitch and broadcast continuously, as well as record to an SD card. The camera shoots 2K video expanded around a 360 perspective at a 30 fps frame rate.

Ricoh will release the camera and the source code to third-party developers that have software to manipulate the camera through a connected computer. The launch of the developer's kit means the brand new camera will take a while before getting a commercial release. Considering live-streaming in 360 is still a young concept, consumers might have to wait before getting their hands on a Ricoh R.

Ricoh's Theta cameras are popular among everyday consumers, but it appears that the Ricoh R is targeted towards bigger audiences, such as in business or broadcasting, TechCrunch reported. The company took the opportunity to present the idea at the CES floor show, although an exact release date and pricing have not been revealed yet.