U.S. Presidential Debate - in Virtual Reality

Last night, we watched the third U.S. Presidential debate in a virtual reality (VR) environment provided by NBC and the social VR platform AltspaceVR.  The environment was a “Democracy Plaza” themed Rockefeller Center in NYC and the debate was presented on a large screen.

VR participants could speak with each other, comment on the proceeding and share perspectives via emoticons.  Access required using software on the HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Samsung Gear VR or a PC desktop viewer.

While it is still “early days” for this type of content delivery - the event seemed stable – with no noticeable audio latency. 

Note:  AltspaceVR has raised funding from Comcast Ventures, Tencent, Dolby Family Ventures and others.