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Watch NYT's immersive stories on Samsung Gear VR
Virtual reality is proving an accommodating medium for the art of storytelling. Even beyond gaming, a diverse pool of creatives (including award-winning filmmakers) and companies are exploring this brave new world. Among them The New York Times, which became one of the first major news outlets to launch a VR push in 2015. Two years later, its app for all things virtual is now heading to the Samsung Gear VR. Owners of the headset can grab it from the Oculus Store right now. According to the Times, most users will be able to watch the films in 4K resolution.
Brood with Hollywood's finest in VR film noir
As part of a magazine celebrating this year's best actors, the New York Times has put together a murky, monochromatic set of film noir vignettes. The kicker? They were all shot in 360 degrees, giving you complete freedom over the camera angle. You're also a participant of sorts -- a mute character, watching as Hollywood's brightest stars talk to you in flowery, cryptic tones. (The conversations are rather one-sided, of course.) In each video, you take on a different role -- a bartender, a reporter, or a cheating husband, for instance -- and get just a couple of minutes to piece together what's been happening. They're all short, but powerful scenes.
NY Times sends 300,000 Google Cardboard viewers to subscribers
After last year's rollout of the NY Times VR app, the 165-year-old paper is sending out another 300,000 Google Cardboard kits to digital subscribers. This year's promotion coincides with the release of the Times' new virtual reality film "Seeking Pluto's Frigid Heart." The film actually debuted earlier this month at the Tribeca Film Festival but will hit the NY Times VR app on May 19th. When it lands, users will be able to virtually fly over the "rugged mountains and bright plains," or stand on the surface of the dwarf planet while the moon Charon hangs in the sky. The film is a joint project between the newspaper, the Lunar and Planetary Institute and the Universities Space Research Association, and the data used to create the virtual Pluto was gathered in 2015 by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft. The Times will be selecting Cardboard recipients based on how long they've been subscribers, so if you're just signing up today for a trip to Pluto, chances are you'll get left behind. Don't fret, though: You can still catch a modified 360-degree video version when it drops in May.
Run the Jewels made a VR music video for 'Crown'
Rappers Killer Mike and El-P teamed up for two albums worth of tracks under the name Run the Jewels. There's also a collection full of remixes made entirely from cat sounds. After creating some of the best hip-hop in the last two years, the duo is now letting fans take a step inside its video for the song "Crown" with a little help from the New York Times' VR app. What's more, Run the Jewels says that this immersive video marks the launch of its virtual reality platform VRTJ. For "Crown," the pair teamed with VR production company WEVR to complete the 360-degree views.
Experience the Paris vigils using the New York Times' VR app
The New York Times launched its virtual reality news app last month, and in the wake of the Paris attacks last week, it's giving readers a glimpse at the heartbeat of the city. The NYT VR app allows viewers to experience the vigils taking place in Paris, offering people in other parts of the world a look at some of the stories unfolding in the days following the tragic events. While The New York Times' use of VR is still in the early stages, it's already showing its potential. NYT VR provides a platform where readers are better able to relate to events and stories by stepping inside them rather than simply reading about them. "Our mission as journalists is to answer questions," an article accompanying the video explains. "In this case, we sought to answer the question of how a city gathers itself and begins moving forward." If you don't have access to a VR headset, you can watch the interactive piece via 360-degree videos on both Facebook and YouTube. [Image credit: LightRocket via Getty Images]
The New York Times VR app took me inside the news
I'm standing in the center of a rubble-filled classroom. The floor is ankle deep in books with overturned desks jutting up like volcanic islands in a sea of literature. At the chalkboard, a young boy is writing something. It's difficult to see what he's writing on the one item that establishes that kids used to learn in this room. I do know that the boy's name is Oleg and he's one of three child subjects of the New York Times' VR app (NYT VR) lead story, The Displaced. He starts telling me his story and I'm spinning trying to take in the virtual environment the publication has dropped me in. Everything is fuzzy at first while I adjust my iPhone in the Google Cardboard headset. Then after a few adjustments, everything lines up. It's not crystal clear, but the story starts to unfold without the technology getting too much in the way. That should be the end game for The New York Times. Tell stories without the tech getting in the way. The app is a good -- yet gimmicky -- start, but it'll need more adjustments to bring it into focus and really change the way we get our news.
