Yesterday, Valve and HTC revealed the ‘Vive’ VR headset, and there’s some pretty big names already working on content for the headset.
According to the Vive website, Google, HBO, and Lionsgate are already working to create content for the new headset which will be “powered by SteamVR.”
Google has been involved in the VR scene for some time now, having originally released Google Cardboard as a sort of open project which spread to the tune of 500,000 headsets shipped by the end of 2014, and they recently began hiring a VR team and last month revealed a VR project to breathe new life into Matel’s View-Master.
See Also: With 500,000+ Units Shipped, Google Just Got Serious About Cardboard
Lionsgate, a production company behind such films as The Hunger Games and The Expendables recently jumped into the VR game, with an announcement that they would be partnering with Samsung Electronics America to produce “INSURGENT – SHATTER REALITY,” a four-minute cinematic 360 video featuring content from the world of Lionsgate’s upcoming film, The Divergent Series: Insurgent (2015). The VR experience is set to roll out exclusively on Samsung’s own Milk VR 360 video platform for Gear VR.
This will mark HBO’s first foray into making VR-specific content for the mass market, following their promotional Game of Thrones experience “Ascend the Wall,” a cinematic experience using the Oculus Rift DK1.
HTC has also partnered with a number of game studios to fill in the ranks. Cloudhead Games, which is producing a game designed exclusively for VR called The Gallery: The Six Elements.
Skillman & Hackett, known for their VR-based painting software, Tilt Brush, which won the 2014 Proto Award for Best GUI. Hopefully we’ll see something of a creative touch coming to the new headset.
WEVR, formerly known as WemoLab, has been producing experiences for Gear VR including theBluVR, an underwater experience, as well as a Gear VR exclusive 360 video for the EndeaVR Project, a collaborative effort between the VR company and the California Science Center.
Other studios teaming up with HTC to create new games for Vive include:
The Taiwanese National Palace Museum will also be creating content for the HTC, also a Taiwan based concern.
We’ll be doing our level best to get our hands on as many Steam VR titles as possible as we cover GDC 2015 from the show floor. Stay tuned!