VR is giving us a new way to experience entertainment
I remember the first time I ever experienced VR. It was 10 years ago, I waited all day for a package to be delivered to my office. That package was a rudimentary Google Cardboard (remember those?), at the end of the day I finally had a chance to try it out and I was blown away. It transported me to the surface of Mars and I actually felt like I was standing on the red planet.
The VR Market is estimated to be worth $32.94 billion in 2024, that is expected to rise to $95.44 billion in 2028. Despite what the naysayers are claiming, VR is growing and it is growing fast.
This isn’t just with gaming, VR is changing the entertainment industry as a whole, giving people a whole new way to consume media that is unlike anything that has ever come before. It’s now possible to actually be in the scene of a story instead of simply watching it on a screen. It’s the difference between standing on Mars and looking at a picture of Mars.
Using that rudimentary cardboard headset with a 720p screen was a decade ago, and oh boy has the industry evolved so much since then. Now I can use a DLNA Server to watch movies on a massive virtual cinema screen with my friends using my Quest 3. Hell I can even watch For All Mankind, which is a great show by the way, on a massive screen on a space station, which makes it all so much more immersive.
It doesn’t stop with how we watch movies or TV though, it’s starting to affect other forms of entertainment too. Let’s look at sports.
VR can change how we watch sports
A concept was developed for the Apple Vision Pro to change how we watch Formula 1, and it really does look like a much superior way to watch the races. Check it out:
As you can see, the concept uses Mixed Reality to place a virtual circuit on your table projecting the cars as they race around it. It gives you a large leaderboard and a massive screen to watch the broadcast on. You can imagine that it wouldn’t be too much before you can view 360 cameras on the cars themselves, putting yourself in the position of the racer. I’ve been to one F1 race, it was a great experience, but I can see this concept being even better.
In terms of what actually is available now, the Xtadium App on the Quest for example will allow you to watch NBA or UFC on your headset. But it doesn’t just give you a screen to watch on. Instead it will put you courtside, or inside the ring with the fighters. So you watch the game as if you were actually in the stadium, which makes it so much better and engrossing.
Football (I refuse to call it soccer) has already experimented with VR, for example you could watch some of the matches for the 2017 Champions League. With the app giving you a 180 camera in the stadium so you felt like you were there. But it also gave you a large screen if you looked down, giving you the TV broadcast and live stats. Admittedly football’s experiment did fizzle out, but as the VR market grows, and if the AVP 2 does well, I can see them returning to this concept.
VR can be super educational too
The new possibilities also extend to how immersive you can make media now. I remember one of the first things I did after getting a Quest 3 was to watch a VR documentary on people returning to a city in Syria after a large-scale battle. This wasn’t the kind of thing I would usually watch on a flat screen, but I was engrossed and horrified for the entire 20 minutes. Being in the wartorn environment made it hit so much harder.
As a British person I was delighted that Richard Attenborough decided to experiment with VR, and the documentary they have on the Horizon store was one of the most memorable things I have seen him do. It was set in the ocean and made using CGI, but that meant you had super detailed almost alien organisms swimming around you and again you felt you were there.
A lot of countries are heading back to the moon next year, imagine if they take VR cameras with them so you can join them on the journey, instead of just watching it on a flat screen.
How is VR affecting music?
With VR, you can now attend live concerts and festivals without leaving your home. Artists and event organizers are increasingly using VR to create virtual concert experiences that allow fans to “attend” shows in fully immersive 3D environments.
Platforms like Horizon World Venues have been at the forefront of this. They have been offering virtual concerts where you can ever choose where you sit, whether it’s front row, on stage with the band, or even floating above the crowd.
Music videos are being reimagined in VR as well, where fans can engage with the content in ways that are not possible in traditional formats. Instead of passively watching a music video, viewers can interact with the environment, explore different perspectives, and even influence the narrative of the video.
VR is also being used to recreate iconic live performances, allowing fans to experience legendary concerts as if they were there. For example, imagine attending a virtual recreation of Queen’s Live Aid performance or being part of a Beatles concert at Shea Stadium. These VR experiences not only preserve the legacy of these historic events but also make them accessible to new generations of fans.
One of the most significant advantages of VR concerts is that they eliminate geographical barriers. Fans from around the world can attend the same concert or match, regardless of their physical location. This global accessibility means that more people can enjoy live music or watch their favorite team.
VR is also transforming how we experience documentaries and significant world events. Instead of passively watching, VR places you in the midst of history, allowing you to witness pivotal moments up close. This immersive approach deepens empathy and understanding, making global issues more relatable and impactful.
VR is revolutionizing the way we consume media, from sports to documentaries, by creating deeply immersive and interactive experiences. As the technology evolves, its potential to transform entertainment and education is limitless.
