Earlier this year, Oculus unveiled React VR, a new library that would enable developers to quickly build and ship virtual reality (VR) experiences across multiple channels. Today, the company has decided to showcase several pieces of content that use React VR, covering entertainment, education, travel and more.
First up is entertainment, with Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle 360-degree experience available to try today on PC, mobile devices, and VR headsets including Oculus Rift, and coming to the Oculus Browser on Gear VR on 21st November. A sort of VR scavenger hunt, the experience tasks you with finding hidden objects to unlock new content – including behind-the-scenes footage – as you explore the treehouse.
“Building an immersive experience for this movie was a goal from the start. It was important for us to give fans the opportunity to journey into the rich world of Jumanji. Interactive 360° video and the React VR platform was the perfect solution,” says Sony Pictures Executive Vice President, Digital Marketing Elias Plishner on the Oculus Blog. “We were blown away with the technology and the fact that it could be easily accessed on a platform people use every day.”
Moving onto education, the British Museum teamed up with Oculus to create an exclusive tour, letting users reach out and examine 3D models of their most popular exhibits, from the tomb-chapel of Nebamun to mummies, funerary art, and more.
“We’re hugely excited to offer people around the world access to this first-of-its-kind gallery tour,” says Hannah Boulton, Head of Press & Marketing. “The British Museum has always been open to everyone, but this kind of technology means we can make this a reality in an unprecedented way, allowing anyone across the world to immerse themselves in our Egyptian collections. We’re proud to have worked with Oculus on this important project.”
Additionally, Oculus also worked with the National Gallery to bring its Sainsbury Wing galleries into VR, including the Wilton Diptych, Jan van Eyck’s Arnolfini Portrait, Botticelli’s Venus and Mars, and Leonardo da Vinci’s The Virgin of the Rocks. All of which will be available in December.
“The National Gallery believes immersive media like VR has the potential to change the way people create, consume, and distribute art,” says Digital Director Chris Michaels. “We want to explore the many different ways that will impact what we do and are delighted to work with Oculus, Vizor, and Matterport on this brilliant collaboration.”
Moving further afield, Oyster.com has used React VR to build an interactive experience that lets travelers try before they fly. “Our goal at Oyster is to let travelers know exactly what they’re going to get before they check in,” explains Senior Product Manager Tracy Drossman. “We’ve done this through undoctored photos and honest reviews from our in-person hotel and cruise ship visits. With Oyster on Oculus, travelers can now feel like they’ve come along on those visits.”
In addition to all these collaborations to create content using React VR, Oculus has also begun testing native React VR integration and experience playback within Facebook News Feed.
As further details are released, VRFocus will keep you updated.