disney – Page 13 – Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation

October 17, 2016

Life in 360°: Heavy Mickey Thunder

For the first time in a while we begin a week without a potential industry changing event about to take place. The PlayStation VR is out, we know about the Daydream View, Oculus Connect is done for another year and Steam Dev Days showed that there is plenty to keep fans of the HTC Vive interested going forward.

That being said, just what will await us today now that the dust has settled? Who will be the one to come out with the big announcement that they’ve been holding back on? We don’t know – but be sure to check back on VRFocus regularly throughout the week to find out. In the meantime I don’t know about you but I’m throughly exhausted. We all need a bit of a holiday I think so we’re heading off to Disneyland and a bit of classic 360 degree rollercoaster action thanks to OneWorldVR and this recording of their trip on the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

VRFocus will be back throughout the week with more examples of 360 degree video at the usual times.

October 14, 2016

Here’s everything we know about ‘Kingdom Hearts III’

Nearly a decade since the last main series entry, anticipation for 'Kingdom Hearts III' has reached a fever pitch as we approach a possible 2017 release. Here is everything we know so far.

The post Here’s everything we know about ‘Kingdom Hearts III’ appeared first on Digital Trends.

October 9, 2016

Oculus Says Walt Disney Studios Collaboration Will “Set a Higher Bar for VR”

Among the swath of announcements made at Oculus Connect 3, one of the fleeting but important pieces of content-related news is that Walt Disney Studios is working with Oculus to create a series of VR experiences based on iconic characters and franchises.

We’ve already seen some pieces of content from Disney in the modern VR space, such as the Disney Movies VR app currently on Steam, but that initial half-hearted attempt doesn’t offer the kind of value you might expect from a Disney production.

Now that Oculus is working with Disney, we may see something more impressive, maybe on the level of Henry, an early Oculus Studios animated VR film that recently won an Emmy. Oculus at least has boldly claimed that the collaboration would lead to high production content.

“Oculus technology mixed in with the magic and creativity of Disney is going to set a higher bar for VR,” said Yelena Rachitsky, Creative Producer at Oculus.

yelena-rachitsky-oculus — Rachitsky on stage at Oculus Connect 3 announcing a collaboration with Walt Disney Studios

The first fruits of that collaboration will arrive later this year, she said, and will focus on Disney’s “most beloved characters.”

Outside of producing its own VR content, Disney has been getting more involved in VR in the last few years. We recently saw the company lead a $65 million investment in VR film studio Jaunt. Disney child-company Lucasfilm has also begun delving into the VR space with several VR projects built upon the Star Wars franchise, like Trials on Tatooine and the forthcoming Star Wars: Battlefront X-Wing VR Mission.

Disney was also once an early pioneer of virtual reality in the era passed, having applied early VR technology to some of its theme park attractions, though much of the technology is now out of date compared to the latest wave of VR.