Newsletter
Hulu VR has received a major update revolving around social aspects and interactivity with friends. The update is available for the Oculus Rift and the Samsung Gear VR powered by Oculus, and allows users to step inside a virtual space along with friends and watch 360-degree content or 2D movies together on a large virtual screen. The update promises the new Avatars and Social features “across all Oculus platforms.”
As Hulu VR continues to expand on the content it has to offer, the company has now updated the Hulu VR application to enrich existing content with more social features, including Oculus Avatar and Rooms. The new features will allow Samsung Gear VR and Oculus Rift users to watch 360-degree Hulu content, while paid subscribers can also watch Hulu’s entire 2D library of content on the big screen in a variety of virtual environments which can be switched during playback, ranging from living rooms to large theaters. Improving on the app’s social aspect, the inclusion of Oculus Avatars gives users the option of stepping inside such virtual environment together with friends, interact with one another and watch the same content together. In addition, the new update to Hulu VR will give Oculus Rift owners new ways to interact with the software thanks to the addition of Oculus Touch controller support. The integration with Oculus Touch will allow users to interact with surrounding virtual objects in real time, which should provide a better sense of immersion and scale, as well as a new way to pass the time during commercial breaks.
Unfortunately, the new features in Hulu VR are not available for VR headsets including the PlayStation VR or other devices with Google Daydream support. This is due to the fact that the aforementioned platforms don’t yet take advantage of social features allowing for this type of interaction, so only time will tell whether or not the update will eventually land on other devices aside from Oculus-powered HMDs. Samsung Gear VR and Oculus Rift owners can download the Hulu VR app from the Oculus Store, which can be accessed directly on the headsets via the Oculus Home screen. You can check the official presentation video below for a closer look at the new Hulu VR update.