Virtual Reality (VR) is currently experiencing a warm welcome from customers, with people buying up VR headsets to experience the wide variety of content now available.
One unexpected field is getting a VR makeover, the American election cycle. NBC has announced that the upcoming presidential debates will be streamed in virtual reality, and has partnered with AltspaceVR to make it happen.
Viewers with any of the top commercially available VR headsets like Facebook’s Oculus Rift, the HTC Vive, or the Samsung Gear VR, and the AltSpaceVR app will be able to watch the debates in 360°.
More than streaming, the makers have created a specific virtual location for all those who want to watch the debates. Called the Democracy Plaza, the virtual representation of Rockefeller Center will offer political and election related content to people and their custom avatars.
Some of this content include chat with friends, political comedy shows, and participation in live question and answer segments.
Previous content from AltSpaceVR includes live concerts and comedy nights in its virtual world. Some of these events have brought several thousand viewers to Altspace, said CEO Eric Romo this week.
This new avenue of VR is indicative of how the technology is shaping the way we communicate and interact with the political system. While not as revolutionary to the election process as the first televised debate, VR may provide a level of interest in the process, furthering the scope of public interaction within the political process.
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