Samsung Launches Milk VR To Provide Gear VR With Videos

Samsung is looking to jump start the virtual reality movement by launching Milk VR, a service launched by the Korean electronics conglomerate which will provide free 360-degree videos to anyone using a Gear VR virtual-reality headset.

The Gear VR virtual-reality headset was launched earlier this month as a limited Innovator’s Edition. Content is expected to be released consistently in an effort to keep user retention rates high.

Samsung wants Milk VR to prove people wrong about the amount of content available for the Gear VR. The purpose of the videos will also serve as a model for future artists and filmmakers who wish to take advantage of the virtual-reality platform. On-boarding the virtual-reality medium early will also mean a head start for content creators looking to create a viewership for the Gear VR.

Milk VR is not alone, sitting alongside it are the Milk Video and Milk Radio services, which plunges Samsung even deeper into the VR content game.

Head of Samsung’s VR business Nick DiCarlo said “Video is like the Wild West in VR,” in an interview earlier this month. “There are so many ways to shoot immersive video. Milk VR can play a wide range of content.”

Samsung partnered with Facebook’s Oculus Rift to develop a virtual-reality headset powered by mobile devices, which was part of a big announcement that included the Galaxy Note 4 and a smartwatch.

On December 8 the Gear VR went on sale in the US which was intended more for artists and developers looking to test out the device rather than being bought up by the mainstream. The headset is priced at $199 and requires a Galaxy Note 4 which acts as the display output, audio output and brains.

Since Smartphone sales have slowed down, which is Samsung’s traditional revenue source, the company is looking at virtual reality as a potential engine for growth.

Samsung Launches Milk VR To Provide Gear VR With Videos