TheWaveVR worked with elevated visibility during SXSW 2018, being one of the companies tapped to create one of the experiences that brought Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One to virtual reality. We talked to TheWaveVR CEO, Adam Arrigo, about Spielberg’s approval of the game the team created, but he also had some words to share about the state of the VR industry.
,
,
“Since we launched our platform last year, we saw incredible user engagement,” Arrigo says. “Each show we’ve done has just been steadily building [with repeat viewers]. We’re steadily growing our team and evolving the product, getting ready for that moment when VR really explodes at home when everyone has a headset similar to a game console.”
The verdict is still out, but Ready Player One could be a moment that shifts more eyes toward the VR industry. The film and the book it’s based on focused heavily on a virtual reality experience called The Oasis, which is the home for the zero-gravity club TheWaveVR created for SXSW 2018. Arrigo is pretty confident that shift will happen because of its potential as a big pop culture phenomenon.
“I don’t think it’s going to cause everyone to buy VR but it’s like the beginning of that crescendo that’s going to lead toward mass consumer adoption,” he says. “The exciting part of this collaboration is we’re able to show people experiences that have previously been depicted in only sci-fi films. Our dreams are actually coming true now. We’ve been building this tech platform that actually makes virtual concerts possible. Collaborating with the film and letting people actually step into that scene now is a really powerful moment for us and we hope for the larger VR ecosystem.”
For additional looks at Ready Player One through the lens of virtual reality, check out the list of experiences that made appearances at SXSW 2018.
Source: Shacknews