This may appear to be a big “techie” for Bloody Disgusting, but I assure you that Virtual Reality is a big deal, especially when it’s eventually going to have a huge impact on the horror genre.
Things got interesting this morning with the announcement that Netflix and Hulu are now in the VR game, with the former having already launched an app on Oculus’ virtual reality store this morning. Hulu’s is set to debut this fall.
Explains Digital Trends:
Netflix and Oculus collaborated to develop an app for Samsung’s Gear VR; when the new $99 VR headset comes out this fall, users will be able to use the goggles to step into Netflix’s virtual world. Through the device, Netflix’s sea of content can be explored from the comfort of the Netflix Living Room, transforming any location into a virtual home theater. However, Netflix has not announced any content specifically created for the VR experience.
The Hulu VR app takes things a bit further, giving users multiple immersive 3D environments to choose from. From there, they’ll be able to stream Hulu’s entire library of content in 2D, and later, watch specially-crafted original VR content. The streamer today announced plans to create such content, starting with a short film called The Big One. The short will be produced by Lionsgate and Rocketjump and created by the brains behind Hulu Original RocketJump: The Show. Through it, viewers will see a meteor shower turn into an “apocalyptic nightmare.”
And with the PS4 taking pre-orders an incredibly affordable VR headset (October), it’s becoming mainstream quicker than any of us anticipated.
There’s seriously so much going on right now in the VR world that you should expect regular updates here on BD’s The Further.