Facebook’s Oculus Taps Netflix, ‘X-Men’ to Bring VR Mainstream
Virtual reality won’t just be another technology for hard-core nerds, if Mark Zuckerberg gets his way.
Facebook’s Oculus will sell movies, video games and streaming services via its virtual reality headsets, seeking to make the devices more appealing to average consumers, the company announced during a presentation in Hollywood on Thursday. Partners include 21st Century Fox and Lions Gate Entertainment, the studios behind “Gone Girl” and “The Hunger Games,” Minecraft and video game service Twitch Interactive Inc., as well as streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu.
Facebook is betting virtual reality will be the next main technology and communication platform, a new way for people to watch videos, play games and share vignettes from their daily lives. Video sharing has grown 40% on Facebook since the start of the year, the social-networking company said on its most recent earnings call, and the company introduced 360-degree videos in collaboration with Oculus earlier this week.
