Live VR: Rocking All Over the VR World

Live VR: Rocking All Over the VR World

There’s nothing like rocking and raving at a live gig – the sounds, the musical sights, the sweat (maybe not so much that last one) and the best thing about it, is experiencing all that in the moment. Well, what if you could capture even just a little of that vibe and craft a virtual experience, fans could watch from anywhere?

“Virtual reality is quickly becoming the perfect medium for live streaming events.”

Virtual reality is quickly becoming the perfect medium for live streaming events. Whether you’re a forward thinking brand looking to create something out of the ordinary for your live product launch, or a major broadcaster wanting to dip their toe into the world of live streaming, live VR could be the next big way to watch events.

But rather than simply just plonking a 360 camera in the centre of it all and posting that out to social, how can you craft a truly memorable VR experience, that keeps the ravers rocking all over the live VR world?

Live Music: Ready to Rock

The realm of music is perfectly poised for live VR to take it by the virtual horns and drive it into a more engaged future. Gigs are where live action comes into its own. It’s a one-off experience that you remember for years afterwards and fully immerses you in the environment. So how does this translate into VR?

Samsung’s recent Live VR gig with Royal Blood, is a perfect example of how it should be done. Rather than just putting a camera in the front row and offering the experience online after the event, they utilised the full board of lighting and event effects on a circular stage, developed specifically with 360 in mind, so that viewers could tune in live and catch the experience from a more immersed perspective.

 “If you’re looking for a new way to reach your audience and capture a moment, in the case of music, Live VR gets gold.”

The experience received over 8 million views on Facebook alone, so what made it so engaging and what could we take away and apply to future experiences?

  • Giving the event an expiry date, makes live VR feel a great deal more exclusive.
  • Eager fans could tune in live to witness their favourite band from somewhere that only VR could give them access to like above the crowd, part of the set and experience, in cutting edge 4K VR.
  • The atmosphere & Visuals developed specifically with 360 in mind
  • The virtual soundscape which broke the 360 barrier

If you’re looking for a new way to reach your audience and capture a moment, in the case of music, Live VR gets gold.

Live Sport: VR for Champions

Moving swiftly from the world of music to its even more active cousin, Sport is another realm ready to be transformed by the capabilities of live VR. In an industry first, BT Sport will be live streaming the UEFA Champions League final, in full 360 VR for the first time. This move from traditional broadcasting of events, is a step towards the way we want to consume content.

With our online culture, we want to be able to access live events in a more natural way, that allows us to actually experience it via the native channels we inhabit and it’s not limited to headsets. The live game will be played through YouTube via several streams and specifically designed BT Sport Virtual Reality app. Where this experience really differs from other live events and gives brands handy cues on how to approach their own live experiential VR pieces, is that viewers can choose between a 360 produced programme with commentary and graphics, or a variety of different camera viewpoints, controlled by the viewer.

“By offering choice in the way live VR is consumed, we get a far more immersive experience”

So what makes this a step forward for live and how can we apply it to our own projects?

  • Allowing the audience to select how they watch the match with “Magic finger” technology, makes it feel more tailored
  • High 4K ultra high definition makes the experience feel more real, streamed directly to us
  • Giving away free Google Cardboard branded headsets from stores and train stations, means consumers get to physically experience it
  • The investment in more personal VR makes it more immersive

Tailoring the VR experience to your audience is the first step on the road to good, live VR. There’s an awful lot we can learn from these footie fans.

Live Automotive: Project Holodeck

Last but not least, we move into the glamorous world of super cars – or rather ‘hypercars’. For events like product launches, where you want your audience to get up close and personal with your brand in real time, live VR really comes into its own. Tech company Nvidia recently unveiled a new VR collaboration tool with a live demonstration at the GPU Technology conference – which smashed all previous preconceptions about the way we experience VR.

Through the suitably sci-fi sounding ‘Project Holodeck’, eager tech heads and automotive enthusiasts were able to witness a live VR rich experience, showcased by Nvidia and Swedish car manufacturers, Koenigsegg. Before their virtual eyes, in real time, viewers were able to access a detailed CAD model of their latest Regera ‘hypercar’. Rather than simply staring at a screen, they could watch the key note speaker virtually touching parts of the car he was talking about with tracked move controllers – through the hands of an automaton.

“If you want to get up close and personal with a product, or engage with your audience in real time, this type of tech could be the way forward”

So, how do the automotive experts pull off the perfect live VR event and is there anything we can takeaway from it?

  • As the speaker talks about parts of the car, the virtual view magnifies in
  • We see the ordinarily unseen chassis interior of the car, in high definition detail
  • They break the model apart so each piece can be seen clearer through the demonstration
  • Everything happens in real time, so you get a more real sense of the craftsmanship
Still frame of the VR experience showing CAD model of the Regera 'hypercar'. The virtual space and the car are black with a green grid overlayed. 3 virtual race car drivers are also standing in the space.

This kind of application is a great example of how and why live VR works differently. If you want to get up close and personal with a product, or engage with your audience in real time, this type of tech could be the way forward.

But it doesn’t have to be an all singing, all automated experience for it to benefit your audience. Whether you’re showcasing a vehicle from the future with virtual robots, or streaming your gig to millions across the world, live VR could help you access new audiences and set you aside from your competitors with exclusive content. Rocking all over the VR world has never been so easy. Let the live VR-evolution begin.

Pebble Studios
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