Just in case you’ve started to forget about Star Wars, Google is doing their part to make sure they remind you that the film drops next month. Yesterday, the search company launched a website that allows Google account users to choose a side and “Awaken the Force Within,” and whether you chose dark or light both end up feeding Star Wars themed features into various Google apps on both desktop and mobile including Chrome, YouTube, Google Now, Maps, Gmail, Waze, and others. In addition to Star Wars being added into some of the most used Google apps, Disney and ILMxLab will be releasing a unique Star Wars virtual reality experience for Cardboard headsets starting at the beginning of next month.
On December 2nd, Cardboard users will get access to a special Star Wars VR experience that is said to “tie directly” into the opening of Disney’s upcoming Star Wars film, Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Users will need to have the official Star Wars app installed on their devices to interact, and those that want to take their experience to the next level can do so by trying to get their hands on specially designed Cardboard headsets that feature Star Wars themed designs. These will only be available through Verizon Wireless stores and will be available on the 2nd of December, the same day that ILMxLab releases the VR content.
There’s not much detail on what to expect from the whole situation, as Verizon have not released info on pricing for the upcoming headsets, or which stores will carry them if not all. ILMxLab have also been quiet on what the VR experience will be like, so there’s not a whole lot to go in terms of understanding the tie in to the film. Having said that, ILMxLab does have a video out which showcases some of their technology and there are snippets of Star Wars related imagery. This doesn’t mean that any of what’s shown in the video is going to be part of the content released on December 2nd for VR viewers, but it certainly does make for something interesting to watch if this type of technology excites you as much as it seems to excite the creators.