With virtual reality becoming a potent messaging medium, I’ve decided to post the best VR experiences and projects around the web that I find as I keep vigil on this developing tech. Think virtual reality is just about gaming? Well you couldn’t be more wrong. This week I came across some interesting new finds in the virtual reality content space which could be harbingers of things to come.

Being part of the news

Long before man landed on the moon we’ve been seeing the news in two dimensions. This may not be true anymore. The Huffington Post’s News in 360 whets our appetite with an experience that truly enables one to live the story. Will this delivery format of the news really help to galvanise and move humanity to action faster? Only time will tell.

When art is all around you

This is for the artist in you. Imagine what you could do if the very air was your canvas. Google’s Tilt Brush project for the HTC Vive allows you to do just that. You use a virtual paintbrush to paint and sculpt in 3D. You can literally walk around your artwork while you create it. This also makes me wonder whether dedicated experiences for certain VR headsets would factor in as a key buying factor. It is almost like choosing between PS4 vs Xbox 1 based on the titles available.

The future of user generated content & advertising?

While not an advertisement per se, the winning contest submission for HTC Vive is an excellent example of how virtual reality can be put to good use to promoting tourism and destinations. I am sure this will soon become the norm because it really simulates experiencing a destination first hand. That said, the perspective does remove some of the rosiness that we have become accustomed to in destination advertising.

Low poly high impact

Sometimes its not how detailed the experience is for it to be a story well told and captivating. One of the worries of VR is that it is expensive to render realistic 3D experiences. What I like about this video from GE is that while it has a strong narrative focus, it does give the viewer ample reason for you to look around and see the world being built around you, while nudging you in the right direction every now and then back to the main focal point. The low poly 3D gives it that right blend of artistic, comic like appeal, while probably saving on some computing power and time in the process.