Two New Yorkers viewed VR content for 50 hours straight, setting the Guinness World Record for the longest, nonstop VR-viewing marathon. 26-year-old Alejandro “AJ” Fragoso and 37-year-old Alex Christison set the record over the Easter weekend, where they were only allowed 5 minute breaks for each hour during the attempt, per Guinness rules. The stunt was sponsored by CyberLink and they were attempting to beat an unofficial VR marathon benchmark, which was set at 48 hours. During the immersion, the two viewed back-to-back VR movies and short films using an Oculus Rift. — VARIETY
Ridley Scott’s RSA Films has launched a VR division. The division will be headed by Jen Dennis, who serves as executive producer of branded content and VR for the company. RSA’s first VR project will be an experience for Scott’s upcoming film “Alien: Covenant,” which the company will produce in cooperation with 20th Century Fox. “We have been heavily involved in VR for the past few years, and having a dedicated standalone division underscores our commitment to immersive media in both the brand and entertainment space,” said RSA Films President Jules Daly, in a statement to Variety. — VARIETY
Analysts expect Facebook to announce a variety of AR developments at tomorrow’s F8 conference. Many say that the company has ambitions to create AR hardware in the future and will set a path by deeply integrating the technology into its smartphone app. The company is expected to give developers the opportunity to open up the camera effects platform, which has been the most widespread consumer introduction to AR. Many also expect Facebook to announce a new version of its Oculus headset. — USA TODAY
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FEMA is creating a VR experience that will help train local officials on what to do during a flood. The federal agency has partnered with Ogilvy Public Relations and Brightline Interactive to create “Immersed,” which will put the viewer in different flood situations using an HTC Vive. FEMA officials hope this shows community leaders what can happen if a flood hits and how they can prepare. — PR WEEK
Several sports teams are integrating VR into games to give fans the player’s perspective. The Seattle Sounders MLS team and Arizona Diamondbacks MLB team are creating VR experiences for the upcoming soccer and baseball seasons. Experiences will give fans both a look at on-the-field action and behind-the-scenes footage in VR. — VENUES TODAY
VR/AR TWEET OF THE DAY
"the killer app for augmented reality will be: having all emails delivered by hogwarts owls. next question" —@daisyowl
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