Sony’s PlayStation VR (PSVR) has embraced 360 video with surprising readiness since launch last October with a suite of free apps and, more recently, support for YouTube 360 content. This month, though, the platform gets its first premium 360 app.
That app is Virry VR, a nature documentary set in the Kenyan Savannas that gives viewers several close encounters with African wildlife. Filmed in Lewa Downs, a UNESCO heritage site in Northern Kenya, the video offers the chance to meet elephants, rhinos, Grevy’s zebras and leopards among others. Footage was shot over the course of four weeks.
There’s even an interactive element to the experience that gamifies it somewhat;. viewers can shake the PS4’s controller to tempt a lion to come and eat meat, for example.
On top of that, there’s an extra live streaming mode that provides 24/7 access to the Lewa Conservancy, and footage of peaceful landscapes that don’t include any animals, designed to help you relax. Future updates will also add new encounters with animals like giraffe, cheetahs, baboons, and another chance to get up close with some elephants.
Virry VR costs £7.99 in the UK, though it doesn’t appear to be available in the US just yet. Given that show many studios offer plenty of 360 content for free in this day and age it’s going to be interesting to see how this app performs. Hopefully a focus on education and using VR to promote issues such as endangered animals helps this succeed.
