Disney pulls VR experiences into a single app

Is the entertainment heavyweight making VR more accessible?

Following hot on the heels of recent news that Disney have signed a multi-year deal with Nokia for the provision of 360-degree cameras to produce virtual reality content, Disney have made yet another power play in the VR world.

With a new VR app on PC distribution network Steam, Disney have brought together all of their current virtual reality offerings and put them in one place for VR enthusiasts to find. Disney Movies VR is a free app, compatible with both high-end True VR headsets currently on the market – the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.

Whilst Disney are certainly one of the earliest (and biggest) entertainment brands to jump head-first into VR, this move is likely to be something of a test – paving the way for more expansive 360-degree video experiences.

Outside of VR, Disney also announced last week that they will discontinue their toys-to-life gaming franchise Disney Infinity, and completely cease any and all self-publishing in video games, instead opting for a licensing model.

By expanding their commitment to VR at the same time as removing themselves entirely from the video games market, are Disney publicly stating that the future of VR isn’t games, but rather a new movie watching experience?

Disney Movies VR

Disney recently announced that nine of their animated classics are currently in development as live-action feature films, following the success of The Jungle Book, which released in April 2016. Whilst the whole of The Jungle Book wasn’t released in VR, a number of behind the scenes and red carpet featurettes were produced to accompany the launch of the film in theatres.

Which Disney property would you like to see given the VR treatment? Let us know in the comments below.

- Thomas Wallis

Get in touch with the author of this article on twitter: @ClacTom