This Virtual Reality App Lets You Use Your Phone to Meet People in Imaginary Worlds

Social VR

Despite the many advances in virtual reality (VR) over the last year, we have yet to really see it integrate into our everyday lives or translate the online social experience into a viable platform. But a new app called vTime hopes to change this.

Think of it as sort of like a more simple, Ready Player One scenario. It works by giving users a VR avatar that can interact and meet with fellow users (and their chosen avatars) in virtual environments, in real time.

In the demonstration, users can choose between environments such as an arctic campfire, a dinner party in Paris, a forest setting, a private jet, a tropical beach, a space station, or even a mountain climbing rig.

You can check out the full video below:

https://youtu.be/DTor5fbv9-c

vTime

The app is called vTime (in reference to users who want to host a virtual meeting). And all you need is a Samsung Gear VR headset or Google Cardboard and a smartphone to use it.

The VR environments may seem very simplistic, especially when compared to other virtual environments that have already been introduced. The graphics leave a lot to be desired. In fact, it’s reminiscent to The Sims graphics from a decade ago—but given that it is being introduced this early in the VR game, we can certainly expect it to evolve quickly into something better and more immersive.

Moreover, given that it’s a mobile app, it’s still pretty impressive.

The Gear VR of the app is already available—it launched just about 3 months ago, and early access for Google Cardboard users is now available as well.