Virtual reality is coming, and coming soon. But it may not be as immersive as we thought.
Immersive video technology company CommonGround raised $25 million in funding to grow their avatar-based virtual platform, which doesn’t require any VR gear to engage with, according to a recent release.
CommonGround’s avatars are lifelike — they’re so lifelike that you can plug one into a virtual space and literally walk around inside it. It’s digital storytelling at its finest.
It’s a ton of fun, but before you get too excited, the company says that the technology is “immersive.” That means they can put anyone in any environment at any time.
They can be in your living room or on a beach or on top of the Empire State Building.
If you’ve ever liked one of these kinds of videos — and, let’s face it, who doesn’t? — then there’s a good chance that you’ll also love what CommonGround has to offer.
The startup has reportedly been working with the likes of the BBC, Vice and Discovery on their technology.
“The BBC is excited about the promise of virtual technology and has embraced it as part of its multiplatform content strategy, but is also aware that there are clear limits to current VR,” a BBC spokesperson told Business Insider in a statement. “This is why we are working with CommonGround, which represents an exciting development in immersive video that can be consumed on any device. We believe this kind of technology will have an increasingly important role to play, especially in the BBC’s long term strategy around video on demand, and we also like the fact that there is a strong focus on engaging with viewers during the experience.”
To date, they’ve told us that they’ve been working with more than 1,700 people — not to mention 50 media partners.
The company has reportedly had more than 10 million downloads (they share their stats on the Web player) and millions of views.
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