Considering that VR is now a hot enough thing in Hollywood that Steven Spielberg has gotten involved, it should come as no surprise that other big name directors are now setting up their own virtual reality startups. It’s into this rush steps Roland Emmerich, famous for Independence Day and other mostly dumb movies, with VRenetic, a startup that, at first glance at least, seems to contain many of the same qualities of his films.
With a proprietary smartphone camera, a free app called VResh and a funky looking frame to hold said smartphone, VRenetic aims to bring affordable 360 degree broadcasting to social media. It’s a combination that a VRenetic promo video shows may allow users to share their experiences virtually, a combination the company claims can be used with an average data connection.
The cost of data notwithstanding, the video doesn’t seem particularly appealing and other pricing information has not yet been released. Perhaps the beta testing of the app will prove otherwise but it’s hard right now to imagine there are many out there who, despite their addiction to their phones, are clamoring for the ability to attach a phone to their face so they can get a better sense of an experience they’re not having.
Considering what clearly seems to be a global smartphone addiction, mobile virtual reality experiences are going to be a growing market and you can’t blame anyone, let alone Roland Emmerich, for trying to catch the wave, especially when other big name directors are trying to do the same. What is fair to question is whether Emmerich’s foray is based on a legitimate effort in trying to shape the future of VR or a craven attempt to not miss the next opportunity.
360 degree video broadcast in an affordable manner could be appealing to a great number of people and in this VRenetic may be onto something. But like many other new players in the virtual reality space, it’s likely the content that they plan to create that will be the key to their ultimate success. It is here where the big, broad creativity that Emmerich has shown throughout his career hopefully will come to the forefront. No matter how dumb many of his films are, it’s hard to deny that he has a skill at giving audiences impressive visual thrills. If he can translate that ability to whatever VRenetic has cooking up, maybe this Hollywood startup will compete stronger than its initial promo spot suggests.