Facebook and YouTube are currently battling for online video supremacy, but at the same time, they are emerging as rivals in the world of virtual reality, too. As YouTube rolls out its own library of 360-degree videos that can be viewed on devices like Google Cardboard, Facebook is support its own VR projects. One recent premiere on the Facebook-owned Oculus Rift is Henry, a short film from former Pixar animator Ramiro Lopez Dau.
Henry has an adorable premise that would not be out of place in a pre-feature Pixar short. It centers on the titular porcupine, who loves to give hugs despite his prickly nature. Dau is using the project to experiment with VR storytelling techniques. “Can you make a character emote in VR? How does it feel? Those questions were at the core of Henry,” he told The Hollywood Reporter.
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Oculus, which Facebook acquired in 2014, still has not released a version of its Rift headset to the public, but the device is expected to make its debut on the market during the first quarter of 2016. In order to ensure a decent launch library, Oculus created the Oculus Story Studio, which has been hard at work on projects like Henry.
As Oculus gears up for its public launch, we will probably hear about more of these original projects. As Oculus COO Laird Malamed understands, content is king. “We need a regular flow of content, that’s probably our biggest focus right now,” Melamed told THR. “We have our content teams working on narratives, games and Oculus Cinema, an app that allows you to view content in the virtual space.”
According to Oculus founder Palmer Luckey, between 10 to 20 pieces of content will be available on the Rift at launch
