Hollywood and virtual reality continue inching closer together, with “Independence Day” director Roland Emmerich launching VRenetic, a virtual reality company specializing in 360-degree streaming tailored to social media.
The company’s debut product, Vresh, aims to untether users from the usually clunky and wire-heavy VR hardware. Vresh will combine a free broadcasting app with a “glasses” headset that’ll allow users to watch 360-degree VR experiences directly from their smartphone. The app and headset will debut later this year.
“Sure, the hardware for professional 360-degree content streaming already exists, but it’s totally inaccessible to young, cost-conscious users,” said Emmerich in a statement. “The VResh platform unlocks all of that, and more. Users will have 4K 360-degree VR streaming capabilities paired with real-time two-way audio, which does wonders to socialize and personalize what has thus far been a solitary, tethered-to-a-computer kind of experience.”
Emmerich — who has been behind Hollywood blockbusters like “The Day After Tomorrow,” “Godzilla,” and “The Patriot” — is flanked by CEO Marco Weber, an entrepreneur that has produced movies with Emmerich in the past.
Vresh is jumping into an emerging market of companies looking to declutter VR and augmented reality experiences. Mira, another Los Angeles-based startup, is aiming to bring AR to the mainstream through its own smartphone headsets coming out later this year.
If you wanted to take a look at Vresh in action, Emmerich put on his directing shoes to make the company’s demo. Check it out below.