Gaming won’t be the only focus of virtual reality, so Samsung will be opening a VR studio in NYC that will center around creating exciting content for the high-tech headset. Movies will certainly be part of the experience, with tremendous potential of immersing the viewer into the story.
Virtual reality is on its way. It’s getting closer every single day, with titans such as Oculus Rift and HTC Vive inching near. However, there are several other devices that will do their best to remain on top of the industry. Among them are likely Google Cardboard and Samsung Gear VR. The latter arrives at a more expensive price, but with bigger promise of a better performing tech.
The problem so far is the lack of content, which is understandable considering the market has not entered full bloom as of yet. However, according to the chief marketing executive from Samsung, Marc Mathieu, 2016’s theme will be virtual reality. Expect it to be plastered everywhere, ads to boast its entertainment value, and even Halloween costumes to somehow join the trend. It will likely be the hot industry for this year, but it all depends on the content created.
Instead of waiting for other companies to start developing VR experiences, Samsung will be taking the reins themselves. At the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, the company announced that they will be opening their very own VR studio in New York, Samsung Studio. Even more, the tech firm stated that they have a one year partnership with Sundance in order to make creative and immersive content for their future viewers.
Mathieu expressed their excitement about future collaborations that will amplify the quality of content released. By assuring the involvement of talented writers and filmmakers, they aim to bring their audience thrilling stories told through VR movies. Samsung already has one particular series in production called “Gone”, a thriller movie based on the disappearance of a young girl. The viewer will follow along the clues to watch the action unfold.
And there are likely many more to come. If anything, it shows that Samsung will not be taking the backseat in the market. They aim at being one of the leaders in virtual reality. Facebook and HTC plus Valve so far seem to have VR gaming locked, Microsoft with their HoloLens have applications, which leaves VR movies open.
Samsung appears to be filling the gap, even though Oculus Rift also have their own Oculus Story Studio with similar ambitions. However, it remains to be seen which will tackle the movie industry better. There’s still something to be said about VR when multiple major companies are putting their two cents in and are willing to invest.
Image source: wired.com
