Samsung VR News: Samsung Develops First VR Thriller With Team Behind 'The Walking Dead'
Samsung is pioneering virtual reality content that is appropriate for its own VR or virtual reality headset, the Gear VR. According to a report in Tech Times, the South Korean company is working with Skybound Entertainment, also known as the outfit behind the very successful television thriller "The Walking Dead," to bring to the small screen the first VR thriller. The 11-episode thriller is titled "Gone" and is about a missing nine-year old girl and an ensuing search for her by her mother. The viewer will be seeing the story in the eyes of the girl's mother.
According to the report, the viewer is not simply watching each episode as it happens. Because of VR technology, the viewer gets to look at a scene in full 360 degrees in order to look for clues as to what happened to the missing girl. This gives the viewer a different kind of experience, one that makes them feel that they are actually in the scene.
Each episode will be further broken down into smaller segments of five to six minutes each, giving enough time for viewers to look for clues. The report said that each episode will feature "hotspots" that will glow momentarily. Once viewers see them glowing, they can zoom in and investigate further. Some of these hotspots may provide more details or an alternate perspective. Scenes can also be replayed from different perspectives in order to find more clues.
The different scenes were shot using special cameras that capture videos in 360 degrees. Samsung and Skybound collaborated with Wevr, a startup company specializing in VR.
The thriller's first episode will be available starting December 8. Subsequent episodes will follow in 2016. Samsung's Gear VR headset owners can watch it via Samsung's Milk VR Service and it will be available for free. According to the report, this may be the first of many VR series that will be developed as VR technology becomes more accessible.
