It’s not always easy visiting big events which is why Pixvana’s XR production studio, WunderVu, has extended its partnership with NBC Universal to showcase this weeks New York Comic Con in virtual reality (VR) via a series of episodes for SYFY WIRE.
The content WunderVu is planning on creating will allow guests to explore the floor of the New York Comic Con (October 4-7) in 180 or 360 degrees. This will enable them to engage and experience the event as if they were there, with three hosted VR episodes, each offering challenges and contests for viewers.
“Virtual Reality enables passionate endemic audiences, like the SYFY WIRE fan base, to experience ‘being there’ and being part of the fun, and the networks and sponsors are starting to notice,” said Rachel Lanham, General Manager of Wundervu in a statement. “There’s no other medium that envelops the viewer and builds lasting memories quite like VR.”
“VR allows us to reach audiences in a dynamic and truly authentic way,” said Matthew Chiavelli, SVP, Digital, for SYFY. “Together with SYFY WIRE’s four livestreams and with the production magic of Wundervu, we’re able to put people at New York Comic Con and other fan events that they might not have had the opportunity to experience otherwise. Helping people to share the experience of events like these in a virtual way is incredibly powerful.”
The first VR segment of New York Comic Con will be available by Saturday evening across all of the SyFy Wire channels – including Facebook and YouTube. Additionally, all the content will be posted to the most well known 360 video channels – YouTube360 (mobile, desktop, or via Google Cardboard), Facebook360 (mobile or desktop), and Google Daydream.
For further updates of WunderVu content, keep reading VRFocus.
The current virtual reality (VR) market is seeing something of a split, with companies and consumers torn between what to support in the coming moths and years. In the midst of this, Chris Heatherly, EVP for Games and Digital Platforms at NBC Universal says that Home VR still has work to do before it becomes a viable business.
Speaking at the VentureBeat GamesBeat Summit 2018, Heatherly expressed the opinion that platforms such as the PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive still have a long way to go before they have a viable business model.
Instead, Heatherly was keen to talk up the possibilities inherent in location-based VR centres: “We’re really focused on location-based VR right now,” said Heatherly in a GamesBeat Summit panel. “If you look at how The Void has done with Star Wars or what Dreamscape has done with Alien Zoon — all of the location VR things that have opened have completely sold out.”
Some analysts have compared the split in the market to the situation in the 80s and early 90s with location-based VR serving a function similar to what videogame arcades once did, with standalone and mobile-based VR standing in for early consoles.
Plenty of other experts have hit back at this suggestion, however, pointing to the sales numbers for the PlayStation VR, and how Sony were having trouble keeping the devices in stock on launch, particularly in Japan.
“It isn’t a business yet,” Heatherly said, “There’s a lot of negativity around VR. I happen to be bullish about the platform, but I think the technology was far from prime time for most users. So the hype bubble got out of control.”
With VR headsets getting cheaper all the time and mid-range standalone devices on the way, the future may be closer than many might think. VRFocuswill be sure to keep you informed on those developments within the VR industry.
There’s never a dull moment in the world of virtual reality (VR) and that doubles when you mix some sport in as well. As VRFocus likes to do every Saturday we’ve compiled some of the best news that combines the two, whilst also mixing in a little augmented reality (AR) as well.
NBCUniversal’s Telemundo Prepares for VR World Cup Coverage
This week NBCUniversal’s Telemundo has announced its future programming plans, revealing the 2018 World Cup will be distributed as a VR experience.
A specially designed World Cup app will be launched, allowing viewers to watch select matches from a virtual VIP platform. Content will include 2D feeds, 180-degree views, 360-degree video content and near-live multi-angle clips, across multiple mobile devices an VR headsets, reports Variety.
“The World Cup is as big as it gets,” said Cesar Conde, chairman of NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises and NBCUniversal International Group. “For Hispanics, soccer is a religion, and the World Cup is our cathedral.”
The broadcaster also plans to add the VR option to its media experience app, “Double Accion 52.”
Cleveland Cavaliers Excited About “what’s still to come” With AR
During this week’s SportTechie PodcastCleveland Cavaliers Vice President of Digital, Michael Conley, enthused about augmented reality (AR) and “what’s still to come”.
Conley discussed a couple of uses the team had implemented such as an AR experience that created a championship ring that looked like it was on their finger, and virtual feature in which fans could shoot buckets at the HUMONGOTRON.
“AR is a great, unique fan-centric platform where fans can get a value out of using their mobile device and using triggers everywhere around their own native environment or an environment that we provide for them,” Conley said. “But what it does is it gives them the ability to consistently engage with the brand through a new and exciting way that really strikes to the younger demographic or at least that was the mentality we thought when we started developing AR. What we found is AR in general is really embraced and accepted by any age group. Everybody likes cool things and likes to engage and interact with new and exciting functions.”
In collaboration corporate partner Budweiser four immersive videos were created allowing fans to see inside the Cavaliers’ locker room, watch game footage and view the organization’s practice facility.
Conley added: “What we learned in the VR process has really allowed us to evolve both our production and approach to VR for the past year to make it much more streamlined and much more valuable from the fan experience side of things when we do bring those 360 videos or those VR videos to our fan base.”
Olympiacos FC Reveal ‘Legendary Virtual Experience’
The current Greek Superleague football champions Olympiacos FC has collaborated with shirt sponsor Stoiximan for a VR fan project called Legendary Virtual Experience.
During an event at the club’s Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium, players promoting the launch included Alejandro Damián Domínguez, Karim Ansarifard, Thanasis Androutsos and Marko Marin. The experience allows fans to view the history of Olympiacos FC, then select a squad from the current team and take to the pitch to score goals, all using HTC Vive.
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