Watching live events or attending gigs has been a large part of virtual reality’s (VR) draw for the wider audience, and especially for the Samsung Gear VR mobile-based head-mounted display (HMD), and now according to a new patent by the company there are more developments in that exact area, but it seems that there will now also be the introduction of ‘in-VR purchases’.
The idea of this new application of omndirectional cameras to the Gear VR is to allow users to check through different perspectives of these cameras and take pictures, further giving remote viewing a practical application. Throughout the patent there are diagrams showing exactly how the new omnidirectional camera will work, and in the diagram below taken from the document it is shown how these cameras can be dotted around the stadium or general venue, and the user can select which camera they fancy but at different fees.
This has a whole new implication of how VR can impact the music or sport industry in creating a solution to letting fans watch shows or games remotely but for a price that would suit the stadium. However, this also poses a small problem as using VR for these applications was looked forward to for its cheapness, so it will depend on whether or not the venues or companies hosting the filming would monetise this greatly or not. This could also echo the same problem and type of repellant as in-app purchases, as freedom within the app is very much limited to how much money you’re willing to shell out to get the experience.
Despite these worries, judging from the prices on the patent example diagram there doesn’t seem to be much of a jump between ticket prices, and there is even a free option.
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