Icelandic virtual reality (VR) developer Sólfar Studios first launched its Everest VR experience back in August 2016 for HTC Vive, going on to release the content for Oculus Rift and most recently PlayStation VR. Today, the studio has announced a free content update called Everest VR: The Seeker Expedition for both PC and console versions.
Developed in co-production with Seeker, a digital science and exploration specialist, and visual effects house RVX, Everest VR: The Seeker Expedition is a creative and editorial collaboration that allows virtual climbers to explore and navigate Mount Everest through a series of guides and infographic sequences. The update incorporates unique 360-degree video footage filmed by the VR Explorers, documenting their successful 2016 summit attempt.
“Seeker is constantly looking for new, engaging ways to explain the world through the lens of science, which is why we’re thrilled to partner with Sólfar Studios and RVX to create The Seeker Expedition in EVEREST VR,” said Caroline Smith, Chief Content Officer at Seeker in a statement. “The Seeker Expedition will enable consumers to be visually immersed in new ways while they learn more about what it’s really like to ascend Earth’s largest mountain in VR and on Facebook 360.”
The update lets users explore a fully navigable, real-time 3D reconstruction of Mount Everest and discover accounts of man´s encounters with the world’s most iconic mountain. In a series of audio guides, contextual infographic sequences and 360 video, the experience showcases multiple perspectives of the mountain. From the geology of the Himalayas to the impact of climate change on Everest and the summit experiences of mountaineer Conrad Anker, expedition captain Lakpa Rita Sherpa, and geologist and author Mike Searle.
“EVEREST VR: The Seeker Expedition uses the medium of virtual reality to tell a story that reveals itself only through exploration and serendipitous encounter within the VR experience,” said Kjartan Pierre Emilsson, co-founder and CEO of Sólfar Studios. “I couldn’t be more pleased with the results of our collaboration with the team at Seeker who share our fascination with the creative potential that VR uniquely offers to convey stories and science from the one of the most inaccessible places on Earth.”
This isn’t the first update Sólfar Studios has rolled out. There was the expansion of God Mode, adding 18 different historical expedition routes as well as other smaller improvements.
For any further updates on EVEREST VR, keep reading VRFocus.