Samsung Gear VR, a virtual reality headset that is paired with the company's smartphones, is poised to expand its media menu with the addition of compatible apps from Netflix, Hulu and Twitch, with several more partners on deck.
Oculus co-founder and CEO Brendan Iribe announced the partnerships today at the Oculus Connect conference, The Verge and other media outlets reported.
He said Netflix will be available today on the Gear VR store, and said Vimeo and TiVo will be coming to the platform in the near future. Samsung and Oculus also introduced a new Gear VR mobile headset that will cost $99 (half the price of the current, heavier version) and work with Samsung’s full 2015 smartphone lineup, as the existing version only works with the Galaxy S6 and Note 4. It’ll ship this November, in time for Black Friday.
Hulu, meanwhile, offered some additional detail on a Hulu VR app that will become avaialbel this fall. It will feature “immersive 3D environments that will allow subscribers to stream Hulu’s 2D library of content as well as original virtual reality short-form” content, starting with a film called The Big One from the creators of Hulu original RocketJump: The Show that’s being produced by Lionsgate and RocketJump.
Hulu said it will announce an official release date, updates on content and device availabitly at a later date. Hulu noted that subscribers will be able to log directly into the Hulu app via their virtual reality device, noting that the experiences will include a virtual living room.
“Providing viewers with dynamic environments of their choice and themed around their favorite shows provides a whole new level of engagement, which together with our cinematic VR experiences makes Hulu an exciting VR destination,” said Julian Eggebrecht, Hulu’s VP of device platforms, in a statement.
