Four Industries About To Be Redefined by VR

Virtual reality: the coolest tech in 80۪s movies is suddenly going mainstream and garnering a lot of attention. Facebook even dropped $2 billion two years ago on Oculus, a company that funded its VR headset from a Kickstarter campaign. We gave you a primer on the VR revolution a bit back but it's time for a deeper dive. Specifically, where VR is going to have the biggest impact. The possibilities are endless and really mind-blowing. We۪ve seen that the tech is a natural fit for gaming, a world that already strives to give players some immersion. With PlayStation VR scheduled for a release in the fall, everyone is impatiently waiting to see how it will fare with the public. VR is going to change several other industries, too. Here۪s where it could become more a part of your life very, very soon.

Live Music Events
Didn۪t get tickets to Drake and Future۪s Summer Sixteen shows because they sold out too fast or because there were no dates in your area? Virtual reality could ease that pain by giving you access to concerts right in your living room, where you can avoid other people spilling beer on you or rapping the wrong lyrics. Universal Music Group and iHeartRadio announced at CES in January that they were forming a partnership to create immersive entertainment for a few live events this year. They are even launching the iHeartRadio VR Concert Series, which will be all live performances, and another feature called The Experience,۝ with pre-show/post-show events or just a single live set. Virtual reality is already being used for pre-recorded shows, too, so live music fans might have a lot to cheer about (from their own couches) in the near future.

Tourism
Traveling seems like one of those things where the physical experience is necessary for it to work, but virtual reality can open up another country or city in a way a passport can۪t. An immersive experience could let you paraglide۝ across Greece or bungee jump۝ from the Eiffel Tower. FrameStore Virtual Reality Studio helped Marriott hotels bring far off destinations closer with the Teleporter۝ booth, which transports people who step inside to places like London and Maui. Destination British Columbia also has an experience called The Wild Within۝ that lets you explore a rainforest and a lake in the Canadian province. Will virtual reality get us one step closer to avoiding long TSA lines and awkward (welcome?) pat-downs? Probably not. But it will make it a lot easier for you to pick your next travel destination once you۪ve gotten a chance to thoroughly check it out at home.

Live Sports
Who wouldn't give to have access to courside seats at a whim or experience a game-winning 4th quarter drive from the sidelines? Virtual reality will change the way sports fans view games by allowing them to be courtside, so get ready to say goodbye to the days of Jack Nicholson cursing in your ear and spilling popcorn in your lap. Tech company and virtual reality producer NextVR partnered with FOX Sports in February to broadcast sports live. It۪s a pretty huge deal since FOX Sports itself currently has the rights to broadcast NASCAR, college football games for several conferences, NFL, MLB, and the U.S. Open Golf Championship. NextVR has also worked with the NBA and broadcasted opening night of 2015-2016 season.

Television and Film
Hollywood seems the perfect match for the virtual reality technology. With epic, big-budget movies like Star Wars and shows like Game of Thrones, there۪s no way fans wouldn۪t love to be standing right in the middle of the action, instead of simply watching it. Virtual reality is really the last frontier to cross for visual entertainment, and studios definitely have the interest. We۪re pretty much there too, as there are several movies currently available to watch using Oculus. Also, a few months ago IMAX, which has already changed the movie-going game,, announced that it is developing virtual reality hubs۝ around the U.S. with help from entertainment company Starbreeze. The hubs will provide headsets, video games and films to audiences and IMAX plans to encourage filmmakers and studios to make VR movies. The first hub is scheduled to open sometime this year in Los Angeles. We can actually smell the popcorn from here.

Yeah, we know what you۪re thinking. There is one more film۝ industry that will no doubt be revolutionized by VR, but we۪ll let you research that one on your own. Just make sure you don۪t do it at work.