Oculus deploys virtual
reality hedgehog to lure filmmakers
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[July 29, 2015]
By Piya Sinha-Roy and Lisa Richwine
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.
(Reuters) - In a Beverly Hills mansion on Tuesday,
Facebook-owned Oculus rolled out "Henry," a movie that
takes advantage of its virtual reality technology to
tell the story of a hug-obsessed hedgehog.
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The company's pitch is to lure filmmakers to use the
technology and produce content that attracts consumers for the
Rift, its virtual reality headset.
Oculus doesn't plan to sell "Henry," the second film from its
film division, Story Studios, which employs both video game
engineers and former Pixar animators. It is part of a slate of
five short animated films that will be created over the next
year.
The films use VR technology to immerse viewers in the story. In
"Henry," viewers don a headset to virtually enter a treehouse in
which they can look around the 360-degree environment and sit at
a table as Henry celebrates his birthday.
"Right now there are no plans for the monetization of Story
Studios. It's to develop experimental stuff," Oculus founder
Palmer Luckey told Reuters in an interview.
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Hollywood is debating whether virtual reality will take off and
how producers will make money from the technology.
Award-winning directors such as Guillermo del Toro, as well as
Walt Disney Co's LucasFilm, are testing out the platform.
But Netflix, one of Hollywood's biggest buyers of content, is
not rushing in, chief content officer Ted Sarandos told Reuters.
"We're open to it and looking at different things," he said,
"but there's nothing that has moved us."
Oculus's chief operating officer Laird Malamed acknowledges the
technology is in early days but is confident in its potential.
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Filmmakers will "see that VR is a place for them to bring their
great creative ideas and make it available to people," he said.
Oculus will provide "Henry" and "Lost," its debut film about a
mechanical creature that comes to life in a forest, free with its
consumer Rift headset next year, Luckey said.
Luckey expects early adopters of the Rift, expected to cost roughly
$1,500, to come from the gaming world.
Getting the masses engaged will require having people try the
technology, Luckey said. Oculus plans to stage demonstrations at
retailers and do tours of major cities to stoke interest.
"You can't really understand it by just hearing about it. You have
to try it," Luckey said. "I'm a strong believer not everyone is
going to love VR right now, but everyone has a use for VR
eventually."
(Edited by Stephen R. Trousdale; Editing by Ken Wills)
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