From the dawn of colour TV to the transitions to HD, 3D, and 4K, Sir David Attenborough has always been at the forefront of home entertainment evolution.
The early steps into VR are no different. Having already dabbled in VR films, Sir Attenborough is back, partnering with Sky who are ready to transform him into a VR hologram.
In what will mark a world-first interactive virtual reality experience, Sir Attenborough will be converted into a VR hologram that will take up residence in a virtual take on London’s Natural History Museum.
Available to experience in the comfort of your own home, the interactive three-dimensional hologram will act as a guide as users get a virtual hands-on experience with some of the museum’s rare objets and artefacts.
Think his brother, Richard Attenborough’s holographic guide to the visitors of Jurassic Park and you’re on the right lines.
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Dubbed ‘Hold the World’, the experience will comprise a serious a TV documentary clips and bespoke, interactive video game technology.
Set to be launched as part of the Sky VR initiative, it’s currently unclear exactly which VR headsets the experience will work with, although given Attenborough’s been pictured with an Oculus Rift and accompanying controllers, we’d take a stab at the Facebook-owned platform being supports.
“I have enjoyed helping people to discover more about the natural world, and Hold The World offers people a unique opportunity: to examine rare objects, some millions of years old, up close,” Sir David Attenborough said of the technology.
“It represents an extraordinary new step in how people can explore and experience nature, all from the comfort of their own homes and I am delighted to be able to help users uncover some of the treasures the Natural History Museum has to offer in a thrilling new way.”
Gary Davey, managing director for content at Sky, added: “Virtual reality is all about experiencing things you could only ever dream of in real life. So in this ground-breaking new experience from Sky, people can handle precious dinosaur fossils and delicate insects with a holographic Sir David Attenborough as their guide.”
Don’t go getting too excited just yet at the prospect of playing with virtual dinosaur bones.
Sky has confirmed that the Hold the World experience won’t go into production until later this year. An exact release date is still unclear.
Is this enough to get you into VR? Let us know in the comments below.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
