Part of the official selection at Sundance Film Festival New Frontier and Tribeca Film Festival Immersive 2017, and then going on to be one of the first grant recipients in HTC Vive’s ‘VR for Impact’ programme, critically acclaimed virtual reality (VR) experience Tree has now been made available through Viveport this week.
Highlighting the harrowing realities of tropical deforestation, New Reality Company’s Tree puts you into the Amazon from the point of view of a kapok tree. You will then grow from a seedling to a mature tree soaring above the canopy line, your arms and body morphing into branches and trunk.
“The magic with virtual reality is that it has the power create empathy and awareness around humankind’s most pressing problems in new immersive ways,” said Rikard Steiber, President of Viveport in a statement. “New Reality’s Tree is a moving and illuminating experience that serves as an example of how we can use the immersive nature of virtual reality to shine a light on critical issues.”
Shown at World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos last week, Viveport has pledged to donate funds from the first 1,000 purchases of Tree to the Rainforest Alliance to support its vital conservation work.
“Virtual reality’s greatest capability is to tell powerful stories,” said Milica Zec, co-founder of New Reality. “Tree has been able to connect with viewers in an intimate way that has made climate change personal to them. We can’t wait for people at home to finally be able to experience this project for the first time,” said Winslow Porter, co-founder of New Reality.
Tree is available to both HTC Vive and Oculus Rift users for $4.99 USD. The VR experience is also available to download via Viveport Subscription, members can now choose the title as one of their five monthly picks.
HTC and WEF announced that in collaboration with a core group of VR/AR leaders and the UN, they will help drive the VR/AR for Impact initiative going forward, and as they do so VRFocus will keep you updated.
Commemorating Earth Day, HTC Vive has unveiled new projects from three creators with visions for how VR can address the UN’s set of defined goals for the planet, such as “Climate Action” and “Zero Hunger.” These projects include 
“We’re thrilled to be chosen as one of the first participants in HTC Vive’s VR for Impact program,” said Ryan Holmes, CEO of SpaceVR. “We share a vision with Vive that VR and its power to immerse and affect viewers like no other medium can be used to make the world a better place. By launching the first virtual reality satellite, we want to create the most vivid and visceral reminder yet that despite our individual trials and travails, we all live on this same fragile pale blue dot hurtling through space.”
“We believe in the transformative and educational power of VR and are excited to use this technology to bring the plight of the honey bee to life,” said Orchid Bertelsen, Nestlé USA Digital Innovation Lead. “We are thrilled to partner with Vive, not only because of their innovative technology and valuable audience, but because of their ideals and shared belief of harnessing the power of VR to drive true impact.”
