Late last year, Samsung released the first iteration of their virtual reality headset, the Samsung Gear VR, which pairs up with the Galaxy Note 4 and the Galaxy Note Edge. More recently, Samsung released a refreshed version which is compatible with the smaller Galaxy S6 twin devices, the Galaxy S6 and the S6 Edge. While the gadgets themselves have been largely praised by people who’ve used them, the amount of content available, or lack thereof, has been a cause for concern. Even the content available have mostly just been gaming apps which can take advantage of the wide, unrestricted field of vision that comes with a VR headset.
In an attempt to rectify this glaring anomaly, Samsung has reportedly signed contracts with the NBA, Mountain Dew and Red Bull to bring content to the Gear VR, through a dedicated in-house app called Milk VR, which offers 360-degree virtual reality content for the device. Towards this end, Samsung has announced that they have tied up with production company Matador to produce a reality series called “My 360”, which offers a behind-the-scenes look at the lifestyles of the rich and the famous. While the first episode will feature Miami Heat basketball player Chris Bosch, subsequent episodes will feature San Francisco Giants pitcher Jake Peavy, and internet celebs Kevin Strahle and Richard Ryan amongst others. Samsung has also joined forces with Skybound Entertainment, the studio who produces HBO’s critically acclaimed and commercially successful “The Walking Dead”, to also produce content for Gear VR.
Elaborating on Samsung’s rationale behind this latest foray into 360-degree content, Matt Apfel, VP of Strategy and Creative Content at Samsung’s Media Solutions Center, said that Samsung wants their users to use the device on an everyday basis, for immersive entertainment and not just for the occasional foray into 360-degree gaming. “Samsung’s Milk VR takes viewers on a journey with inside access to unexplored worlds, and we created MY 360 as a way to deliver on that. Samsung wanted viewers to explore and experience the lives of celebrities from every angle”. Apfel, also promised to deliver “better graphics, music, narration” for their about to be launched programs on Milk VR.