We knew that 2016 was probably the year when OEMs will really make the big push for virtual reality headsets. And in order to do that, of course you would need a lot of content to attract people to actually watch and enjoy on their headsets. That’s precisely what Samsung is aiming to do for its Gear VR as they announced during the Sundance Film Festival that they will be opening a VR studio in New York.
Aside from the fact that said studio will be housed in an already existing Samsung office that has its marketing department there, there isn’t much information that they shared after the announcement. But they also did announce a year-long partnership with the Sundance Institute that will supposedly “nurture filmmaking and creative talent”. Again, not much information about this partnership except that they want to “help people tell stories”, according Marc Mathieu, chief marketing officer of Samsung USA.
Samsung also had a pop-up showcase at the festival, as they premiered a virtual reality sketch from Funny or Die, a comedy website, and starring Rob Heubel (The League) and Paul Scheer (Children’s Hospital). People got the chance to experience this show though the Gear VR headset at their booth. Heubel said that VR is the “most fun way to blow people’s minds.”
It’s about time that VR tech come in to its own, especially when it comes to the consumer market. And it looks like Samsung and its competitors like the Oculus VR company (owned by Facebook of course) are stepping up their game. Let’s see if the public will finally bite.
VIA: CNet
Love this thing, it’s so immersive and a whole lot of fun!