Los Angeles, US, February 8 — To attract new customers and keep old ones, Hulu is now announcing to incorporate their video streaming services into a VR experience.
It’s called Hulu VR, and the users will be able to hook up their own virtual reality viewing device.
So there won’t be a Hulu device that you’ll need to buy, and you can make use of a product that you already own. They are currently supporting Sony PlayStation VR, Google Daydream, Oculus Rift, and Samsung Gear VR with Galaxy S6, S7, Note 5 Phones.
What does it do?
Existing media won’t transform into a virtual reality show. However, with your headset on, you will be able to immerse into a virtual environment that supports the experience of watching your favorite shows and movies. Think of a virtual cinema visit or seeing your show while sitting at the beach. That is more likely what you should expect from this service.
This is just the start of extending VR applications to mainstream media outlets. Hulu doesn’t claim anything else than offering an alternative, perhaps a little cooler, way of using their services. Think of this as a first step into the entertainment world of tomorrow. Maybe we can soon expect virtual shows as well to replace the 2D display in the digital world.
Social interactions in VR
Remember dropping by your friend’s place just to watch TV together? We play online games with our friends, even though they are present elsewhere. Why can’t we watch shows and movies together? It’s seemingly a lot easier to do than real-time gaming interaction.
What Hulu VR tries to do is to place virtual avatars of your friends and family next to you, while you’re all watching the show. In this first step the social interaction is hardly more than conceptual, but maybe we can see more like this in the future soon.
Find more information on their guide to Hulu virtual reality.
YouTube: Hulu VR • Now Streaming With Avatars and Social Features
Photo credit: Hulu
Source: Lucas Matney (TechCrunch) / Hulu
