5 of the biggest VR developments over the past month

These five stories continue to drive Virtual Reality forward. Take a look!

Hulu launches app for Samsung Gear VR

Hulu dedicated VR menu

Within this dedicated app Hulu are allowing access to “some of the very best 360-degree video content available”, along with some exclusive original content plus the ability to watch Hulu’s entire 2D content library within “immersive 360-degree environments”.

Hulu have also chosen to give access to all of their 3D virtual films whether or not you are a Hulu subscriber. This move will certainly boost their subscriber base as the content acts as a touch point for early adopters of VR tech, but it also helps build the consumer proposition and encourage Virtual Reality tech adoption by bolstering the VR ecosystem with free content.

See Hulu’s full announcement here.

VR helps create new surgery techniques

Google Cardboard

Whilst education uses for VR have been toyed with as far back as 2014, doctors in Minnesota created a virtual representation of a heart in order to explore viable surgery options in VR, and ultimately save the life of a new-born baby.

Read the full heartrending story here.

Pockulus VR headset – budget VR for tech enthusiasts

Pockulus VR

On the smaller side of product announcements, but important nonetheless, the Pockulus VR headset is firmly aimed at DIY tech-tinkerers. What this budget offering shows is that VR technology is possible, albeit certainly not as effectively as True VR headsets, with little cost. We’ve highlighted this quirky story because as more people experiment with different kinds of virtual reality, innovative ideas will spread and VR ecosystems will flourish.

Read more about Pockulus VR here.

VR speeds car development along

BMW VR

In the past, BMW has used bespoke VR gear to help in the development stages of their future car models. With the fidelity of the HTC Vive however, the German car manufacturer have been able to lower the cost of VR implementation. They use the system to test car interior designs, adding virtual engine sounds and road noise to create a life-like car interior that can be used to feed user data back to the designers.

Get the full story on BMW and their use of VR here.

Disney signs multi-year deal to make VR video with Nokia

Nokia Ozo

After using Nokia’s Ozo cameras to produce 360-degree extra content to accompany The Jungle Book premiere, Disney seem to be doubling down on VR. This comes right after the news that Disney will continue to create live-action versions of their most popular animated features, with nine more currently in development. With new live-action Disney films coming until at least 2019, it’s exciting to see that such high-profile 360-degree content will reach consumers for a long time to come.

You can see Nokia’s complete press release here.

- Thomas Wallis

Get in touch with the author of this article on twitter: @ClacTom

What do you think are the most impressive uses for VR? Let us know in the comments below.