The two greatest quests being undertaken in the virtual reality scene today are these: the quest to find the perfect head strap settings so that your headset balances perfectly on your head (some say it’s impossible but I for one remain hopeful), and the quest to create the VR industry’s first, true killer application. Every NES needs a Mario Brothers, every Game Boy needs a Tetris and every iPhone needs an Angry Birds (seriously, how do you beat level 3-5?). In the spirit of this glorious adventure Samsung — the co-creators of the Gear VR headset and one of VR’s most enthusiastic innovators — is hosting a contest to sniff out VR’s next big thing.
The rules of the game are simple: if you think you have created a Gear VR compatible product that could turn the world on its ear, Samsung wants to hear from you. According to the company, all you need to do is:
“Submit video or screenshots of your demo/app to us at www.gearvrdemo.com by November 23 and a playable executable for Samsung Gear VR by November 29. (Full submission details below.) Then join us on December 1st at the Upload VR office in downtown San Francisco for a special event where the winner and finalists will be selected by a jury of VR stars, including High Fidelity and Second Life founder Philip Rosedale and Paul T. Kim, Samsung director of Content & Services for Gear VR.”
Some of you may be willing to submit your brilliant ideas simply for the good of VR, and that’s admirable, but Samsung has gone ahead and sweetened the deal by offering a slew of prizes that could help turn your prototype into a career.
Prizes:
Up to 10 Semi-Finalists:
Entries promoted on Samsung Developer Connection’s social media channels.
Up to five Finalists
Entries promoted on Samsung Developer Connection’s social media channels
Entries featured in a post on uploadvr.com
Two full conference tickets to Samsung Developer Conference 2017
One grand prize winner:
VR Creator’s Kit: One Samsung Gear VR headset, one Samsung Gear 360 camera and one Samsung Galaxy S7 mobile device
Promotion on Samsung Developer Connection social media channels
Prominent feature listing of the completed app on the Samsung Picks page in the Oculus Store
Coverage on uploadvr.com
Two full conference tickets to Samsung Developer Conference 2017
A video interview / mentoring session, either online or in-person, with a well-known VR evangelist (winner must cover own travel costs for in-person session).
A mentorship session, either online or in-person, with Samsung VR experts (winner must cover own travel costs for in-person session).
One hour free consultation with an SF marketing agency
This is your moment, aspiring developer. This is your chance, young studio. Take a chance, send an email and, who knows? Your life may never be the same.
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Note: Be sure to check out the full contest rules and regulations before applying. Good luck!
