In addition, the South by Southwest Festival, which we've been covering from Austin, has a huge number of offerings for those with an interest in virtual reality. Unlike other film festivals, SXSW has always had a specific interest in technology and interactive media through its Interactive programming. This year the festival will host its “VR/AR Track” from March 16-18 through its Convergence program, which focuses on media that falls at the intersection of the festivals three main events: Film, Music, and Interactive. For these three days, badge holders can go to Salon C in the Hilton Austin Downtown for a hands on exhibition of virtual reality and augmented reality technologies. For those with a specific interest in games, the Games Expo runs from March 17-19 in the Austin Convention center and is free to the public.
If you want to explore some basic VR programs and can’t make it to a festival, Facebook and Youtube have introduced 360-degree video, which allows the viewer to turn the camera in all directions to view different parts of the image in real time. These videos are viewable on a web browser by dragging the mouse to move the image, but by using a smartphone and Google Cardboard the viewer can create an immersive 3D experience where he or she can simply turn his or her head to “look around” in the video.