This includes services such as Twitch, TiVo, Netflix, Lionsgate, Hulu and gaming titles such as Minecraft. In June, Oculus revealed more details about its future Oculus Rift virtual-reality headset, which is expected to go on sale to customers in the first quarter of 2016.
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Facebook is betting virtual reality will be the next main technology and communication platform, a new way for people to watch videos, play games and share vignettes from their daily lives.
But Oculus is targeting a broader audience for the device through Oculus Video, which will let Gear VR owners buy and rent movies through partnerships with studios like 20 Century Fox and Lion’s Gate.
“In just a few years, virtual reality has gone from the science fiction dream to an awesome reality”, Zuckerberg, Facebook’s chief executive officer, said during the presentation. The idea has been around for decades and most people have, at least, some experience with the earliest prototypes of this technology.
Zuckerberg cautioned that initial sales of virtual reality devices would be small, as consumers get used to the new technology.
Samsung said that the Gear VR will start selling this fall but did not give any information about its availability in India. Where the previous version only worked with Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy Note 4, the latest headset is compatible with all the smartphones Samsung launched this year. Asus, Dell and Alienware will have certified models that cost less than $1,000. The Rift is the most-anticipated product in a market projected to reach nearly $16 billion by 2020, according to researcher MarketsandMarkets.
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Netflix content is available to be viewed in Oculus or Samsung headsets starting Thursday, while Hulu said it would also bring its app to the Oculus platform where users can stream 2-D content as well as an original virtual reality short film called “The Big One“, from YouTube star Freddie Wong’s RocketJump production company.
