Exotic 360 Video Moments

There are many from the VR community who make an argument that 36o shouldn’t even count as ‘real’ VR because the videos lack interaction and often fail to give the user a sense of presence. But these videos are often consumed on a headset and it’s hard to pushback. At the very least, 360 video can be seen as a kind of gateway drug for VR. The best exotic 360 videos often involve extreme sports, celebrities, and people generally doing amazing things. They’re live action and don’t give users any interactive ability beyond rotating your head.

Notable titles: Space X Drone Ship, Esso Racing, Blue Angels

Jump scare horror experiences

These experiences helped propel the early word of mouth about the Oculus and the format is pretty simple. A maze, a monster, a disconcerting soundtrack, and a boom.

Notable titles: Dreadhalls, DreadEye, Late Night Shop, Paranormal Activity

Short-form 360 Video Documentaries

In many ways, these are just regular documentaries with the techniques we’re familiar with but with 360 video attached.

Notable titles: The Displaced, 6x9

Vertigo Shockers

Few things affect our lizard brains quite like height. Even low fidelity VR experiences can exploit this with room scale tracking. These experiences will sometimes include a prop walking board to further simulate the texture.

Notable titles: Action Star.

Room Scale Shooters

One of the coolest aspects about room scale shooters is how intuitive they are. There is no crouch button — if you want to crouch to avoid a shot, you drop to the floor. Some of the coolest titles involve weapons that use both hands to function like a bow and arrow. Others involve creative use of sound and space to constantly have you checking angles.

Notable titles: Space Pirates. Hover Junkers. The Lab.

Social Group Games

Some of the most intriguing games to emerge involve a VR headset + a group of friends. These games play on the divide between the person in the headset and the audience around them to solve a puzzle. This sub-genre has some of the most creative titles already and feels like its just getting started.

Notable titles: Keep Talking and No One Explodes, Fantastic Contraption.

Novelty Physics Games

One of the coolest things about VR is the ability to experience novel physical simulations. Room scale VR make minute adjustments to elements noticeable and surreal. Blarp, by Cabbibo, is appropriately described by Polygon as, “The weirdest game for the HTC Vive.”

Notable titles: Blarp, Holoball, Project Arena

Meditation

Full immersion can be helpful if you are trying to meditate or achieve a higher plane of conciseness. A variety of VR experience help you do that, including ones that integrate with peripherals to track your breathing.

Notable titles: Deep, ZenZone, SoundSelf.

Whimsical Room Scale Creative Immersion

What if you lived in a world where hot dogs were drums?

Notable titles: Playthings.

Rhythm games

Imagine Dance Dance Revolution but with your hands.

Notable titles: Audioshield.

Virtual Reality Immersion Therapy

VR Immersion therapy has been around long before the Oculus or Vive made waves. There is a ton that is still being researched but there are some incredible findings to back up the techniques.

Notable titles: Medical.

360 Porn

Just wait until Autoblow opens its API.

Notable titles: Just Google it.

Torture

There is thankfully, nothing to link to on this but it seems like a likely, unregulated, opportunity for the military and police to gather intelligence.

Notable titles: DARPA R&D.

Professional creation

Notable titles: Unity Native VR. Unreal Native VR.

Tangible skill based learning

Want to be a quarterback? Universities and NFL teams are pouring millions of dollars into VR training.

Notable titles: STRIVR