Virtual reality pushes the capabilities of computers like no other current technology; putting a 3D world in front of you and making it interactive requires a lot of power. But the payoff? A new medium that directly engages with you, multiplying your perspective and allowing a new kind of empathy. Phil Chen, Chief Content Officer of HTC’s Vive, is working to intensify that experience by stressing interactivity—not just putting you into a virtual world, but encouraging you to engage with it. You can stick your head inside a jet engine or walk inside your own brain.
Phil Chen is an explorer and technology pilgrim. As head of HTC’s business and corporate development, Phil has led investments into KKBox (the number-one music service in Asia), Soundhound, and Magnet, as well as the acquisition of Beats Electronics. Most recently, Phil founded the HTC Vive VR HMD Group and is pioneering a VR seed fund called Presence Capital to catalyze the VR/AR industry.
Road to VR has the first look at Chen’s topic, presented in this short film above, which will be part of a broader discussion at the annual Future of StoryTelling summit. ‘FoST’ brings together leaders from media, technology, and communications to explore the constant evolution of storytelling. The organization’s summit is the annual focal point of the discussion.
Chen will be among the speakers at the 2015 FoST Summit where he’ll discuss how interactivity makes VR a tool for learning, communication, and storytelling—a way to add a new dimension to our lives.
FoST Summit sessions are conversation-driven, 60-minute roundtables, lead by each speaker and a group of about 25 attendees. Short teaser films (like Chen’s above) serve as a primer for the roundtables so that attendees can select their favorite topics, and participate in the roundtables of their choosing, prepared to contribute to the conversation. You can watch the other FoST films released thus far and apply for an invitation to FoST here.
