The Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo now lets visitors go beyond the glass and having an astonishingly intimate encounter with sea life thanks to the HTC Vive.
Wevr’s theBlu, one of the first experiences to feature on the SteamVR headset, is one of a handful of VR apps on offer at the site’s new VRZOO. Visitors will be able to put on the headset and experience the brief, atmospheric encounter with a whale and other creatures that so many Vive owners will have already seen for themselves. The Vive it setup to support room scale play.
Offering a number of memorable encounters, theBlu is one of the most powerful examples of the sense of scale and immersion that VR can deliver, and appeals to just about anyone, not just gamers. If you haven’t checked it out for yourself, it’s available on Steam for $9.99.
While theBlu will create a sense of wonder, the VRZOO also hopes to educate its audience on the challenges that animals of all kinds face. In addition to the CG experience, live action, 360 degree footage will also showcase life both above and below the ocean in Uganda, South Africa, Maldives, Egypt, Australia and Mafia Island. These 3D clips will focus on aquatic wildlife facing extinction, aiming to raise awareness and support for their preservation. The installation was setup with the help of Emaar Entertainment.
VR is becoming an increasingly important tool in raise the awareness of many campaigns like these. When done right the connection users are able to grow with subjects inside headsets can be much more powerful than anything you’d see on a standard display, offering the next best thing to being there yourself. We’ve also seen the tech used to shine a light on the ongoing immigrant crisis that the world is facing and create a better understanding of historical events.
