Racing fans can now get a first-look experience of what it is like to race Formula E cars in Virtually Live‘s first public VR application. The company’s free application in partnership with FIA Formula E is now available on the Steam Store.
The experience will feature highlights from the 2015/2016 season at the Long Beach, Berlin and London ePrixs. The free VR experience will feature multiple perspectives from the first-person view of the drivers and multiple points around the track and clubhouse.
Virtually Live CEO Tom Impallomeni said, “Virtually Live is about putting the fan in the experience, and we are excited to launch, with our innovative partner FIA Formula E, a truly ground-breaking experience enabling fans around the world to re-live the excitement of last season’s climax and get a taste of the upcoming live experience.”
Virtually Live’s goal is to broadcast the races, and other events, live. When the feature is introduced, there will be a live broadcast on traditional 2D video and the CGI representations seen in the current experience. The event recreation in a 3D environment allows for complete immersion in the space. Currently, consumers have seen 360-degree broadcasts of live events.
Virtually Live has a different proposition with the company’s main focus of user interaction. In Greenlight Insights’ 2016 Virtual Reality Consumer Adoption Report, only 13 percent of consumers who experienced VR expressed preference for 360-degree video. VR is inherently interactive in nature and the possibility of further interaction in an environment can help heighten the sense of immersion. Live events are about the experience. Creating an experience emulating a live event needs to have exploration elements beyond what 360-degree video can offer to truly capture the event’s atmosphere and experience.
The free experience will be available on HTC’s Viveport by the end of the month, with its release on Oculus shortly after.
