Yanira D. Kivi 
IMAX, the company behind the technology used in these very large cinema screens on which certain films are shown, intends to give virtual reality a cinema-like experience. Before the end of the year, IMAX will open six locations to host “VR experiences” that go beyond what consumers can get at home, reports the the Wall Street newspaper. These experiences will take place in places like cinemas and shopping malls, starting in Los Angeles and eventually in China.
Now, don’t expect to watch the latest Hollywood blockbuster in VR once these venues open. Instead, explained IMAX CEO Richard Gelfond, the plan is to offer short content related to movie franchises, say around 10 minutes, for a price of between $ 7 and $ 10.
That might sound like a lot for such a short trip to VR, but then again, their goal is to deliver a better experience than what an Oculus Rift or HTC Vive can offer at home. IMAX will use headsets and content from Starbreeze, which just announced a partnership with Acer. Starbreeze’s hardware boasts of a more immersive VR experience thanks to its 210-degree field of view (compared to the 110-degree Rift and Vive).
The news comes just after IMAX and Google announced a partnership to work on a cinema-quality 360-degree camera. This, however, won’t be ready for filmmakers to use for another 18 months, which means there likely won’t be any surplus VR content for IMAX to use for some time.
SOURCE Wall Street Journal
