Virtual reality comes earlier than expected – Milenio.com

Virtual reality is about a few steps to the masses with Samsung unveiling a viewer that brings technology to its latest smartphones at half the price of its previous model, the launch of Facebook on your 360 degree video and online video services like Netflix and Hulu joining the format.

The ads in a developer conference in Los Angeles to virtual technology company, Oculus, represent an attempt to bring the platform beyond focused niche lovers of video games.

The CEO of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, who bought Oculus for 2,000 million dollars last year, said yesterday at a conference that virtual reality is the next ” logical step “after online sharing text, photos and video.

” In a few years, the RV went from being a dream of science fiction to a stunning reality, “he said. “Now all we have here the opportunity to change the way we play, communicate and collaborate.”

Zuckerberg showed a promotional video for the upcoming movie “Star Wars” showing a fast vehicle flying over a desert landscape of the fictional planet Jakky. As the video plays, users can see in any direction using the mouse.

For its part, Samsung said its new virtual reality viewer is 22 percent lighter and will cost $ 99, half the price of the previous model. The VR Gear, requiring users to connect the latest version of a smartphone Samsung to display, will be delivered from November.

The contents of Netflix is ​​available for viewing in the Oculus or Samsung viewers to As of yesterday, while Hulu said it would also provide its application to the Oculus platform where users can play 2-D content in addition to an original short virtual reality called “The Big One”, the production company of RocketJump YouTube star Freddie Wong. The date of the launch of Hulu was not announced.

Meanwhile, Oculus said it would start a certification program for consumers to seek a gummed to identify which computers will support the viewfinder Oculus Rift, which is scheduled for release early next year. Asus, Dell and Alienware have certified models at a cost below $ 1,000.