Virtual Reality Breakthrough is Movie Watching

I have been involved in VR during the first wave of companies trying to develop VR technology for consumers. This was in early 90s. All attempts failed. Now Oculus leads another wave of VR consumer companies trying to make VR work for consumers. 

Facebook paid $2 billion for Oculus. Never before has so much money get put into consumer VR like today. Big consumer brands are also getting in the game like Samsung and Sony. But what is the killer app? It might be just watching movies. 

Oculus Cinema is an app Oculus develops to simulate watching a movie in a cinema. You immerse wearing the VR headset sitting in a movie theater at the best seat. The screen is simulated in front of you and it is big: 20 feet.

There are other movie VR apps in development as well like the one from M-Go.

The idea has definitely merit. A virtual movie theater could also be a social thing and you could watch the movie with friends and family and laugh together watching a comedy. If this is going to be any good and affordable, movie theater companies can already start closing down their cineplexes. Unless the current VR wave will fizzle like the last one.

Read an in-depth report on VR Movie watching on CNET.