Virtual reality technology has come to Good Morning America. On Tuesday, the TV show is going to present a new 360-degree episode of Amy Robach going on safari to the Africa’s “Garden of Eden”, the Tanzania’s Ngorongoro Crater. The content can be accessed from the IM360 app, or via the ABC News official web.
According to ABC News, part of Africa’s Great Migration visits the Ngorongoro crater in February, being the greatest mammal migration on earth, with thousands of wildebeests zebras, rhinos, lions, ostriches and gazelles moving across the grasslands of Africa in order to find food and water as the seasons changes.
“GMA will broadcast exotic animals live in their natural habitat in a way never seen before, using IM360’s virtual reality camera and drone-mounted cameras. You will experience some of nature’s wildest, most dangerous predators up close” wrote ABC in a Monday announcement.
Moreover, the TV Show is going to make special emphasis on the threat that poachers represent to lions, elephants, rhinos and other animals. Coverage will also include video shot by IM360’s drones in the Serengeti National Park, which is part of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area that covers 8,292 square kilometers.
The special VR safari episode can be experienced using Google Cardboard with a compatible smartphone and the IM360 app or with a Samsung Gear VR headset, using the IM360 app that can be downloaded on the Oculus store.
Real safari vs VR experience
The Ngorongoro crater is one of the most beautiful natural wildlife safari sites in the world. However, just a night of safari in the region can cost $5845 per person on February, when the Big Migration starts. Without including park and conservancy fees, administration fees, and transfers between Lake Manyara airstrip and the Ngorongoro Crater, according to the tourism site “& Beyond”.
On the other hand, even when the virtual experience cannot be compared with having a real safari, a virtual reality headset such as the Samsung Gear VR and the Oculus Rift can be acquired from $100 and $600 respectively, if customers already have a smartphone or a gaming-PC.
Virtual Reality and TV shows
Other TV networks have also shown interest in the VR segment. Last Sunday, Fox Sport broadcasted NASCAR’s Daytona 500 on VR, since the company made a five-year alliance with Next VR.
During the Super Bowl 50, Microsoft published a new campaign that recreates a futuristic way of watching the Super Bowl with the HoloLens, an augmented reality device. Research firms Tractica and Goldman Sachs have announced a great future for the virtual reality market. It is calculated that by 2020 there will be 200 million VR headsets in the hands of customers
Goldman Sachs analysts said in note to clients on January that virtual reality and augmented reality create a brand new intuitive experience that has the potential to create a multibillion-dollar industry that could be as powerful as the PC creation.
Source: ABC News