HTC has been pranking bystanders with a series of real-life street games to test if they are “Vive Ready”- to promote its new virtual reality headset. See why it’s our video viral of the week below.
Creative agency B-Reel, in partnership with Google, can the interactive campaign to support the launch of HTC’s Vive virtual reality headset.
The campaign consists of eight, short, street-stunt films and a browser based 3D game paired to the users’ mobiles.
The campaign aims to engage users by blurring the line between real-life and virtual reality, while encouraging physical activity.
The eight street-stunt films, which have been seeded on YouTube, plunge unsuspecting members of the public into various real-life challenges that recreate various classic video games. The videos contain a call to action urging viewers to prove whether they are “Vive Ready”.
After viewing the clips and following the call to action, users are invited to play HTC’s browser based 3D game. The game aims to give users a taste of the Vive headset’s unique movement tracking capabilities. By pairing with users’ mobiles, players are encouraged to swing, slash and wave their phone around in order to complete the game, with one lucky user having the chance to win a VR headset.
The game is underpinned by WebGL and Web Audio technologies which help to create a unique experience combining gaming, storytelling and physical movement. The in-browser experience is delivered through standard devices and is available to anyone with a web browser and a phone.
Lins Karnes of B-Reel comments: “The team at B-Reel were blown away by the Vive headset, by allowing users to physically interact with their landscape, we think it’s a game-changing development in virtual reality. An unrivalled VR experience deserved a unique interactive experience to mark its launch, and we have created exactly that – a motion-based campaign that blurs the line between real and virtual, with movement and its heart.”
By keeping physical activity at its core, the campaign is able offer an insight into the nature of HTC’s Vive virtual reality headset. Unlike the current VR experience, the Vive combines wireless controllers and room scale motion detectors – enabling a world first 360 VR gaming experience controlled by body movement.
