In 2015 Oculus held a virtual reality (VR) jam for its mobile head-mounted display (HMD) Gear VR. The platinum winner was The Night Cafe: An Immersive Tribute to Vincent Van Gogh by Borrowed Light Studios. The developer then officially released the project on Gear VR in October of that year and this week has broadened that support. Following the reveal of HTC Vive support last week, the title is now available via Steam for both the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive HMDs, the title has had a slight name tweak, The Night Cafe: A VR Tribute to Vincent Van Gogh, but the content remains the same. As the name suggests the bulk of the experience allows viewers to walk around the 1888 painting by the famous post-impressionist artist, but that’s not all there is to see. If you look carefully enough and know a small amount of art history you may well spot some of his other works. A simple yet involving experience The Night Cafe: A VR Tribute to Vincent Van Gogh, lets viewers get inside Van Gogh’s paintings and appreciate them in a whole new way.
The Night Cafe: A VR Tribute to Vincent Van Gogh isn’t the only way to enjoy art in VR, as Woofbert VR also offers an artistic experience. Only available on Gear VR and Oculus Rift the app transports users to The Courtauld Gallery in London, UK to discover spectacular paintings by Gauguin, Manet, Monet, and Renoir. You can explore the Wolfson Room and listen to audio narration by New York Times’ best-selling author and illustrator Neil Gaiman. It’s completely free to download through Steam, and VRFocus will continue its coverage of Borrowed Light Studios and its future VR projects.
