The New York Times is embracing virtual reality in a big way. We've seen the scribe dabble in VR in the past, it even teamed up with Google in October last year to send out one million Cardboard viewers as a promotion for some new VR films. It's now joining forces with Samsung for a proper 360-degree video journalism project called The Daily 360. The aim here is to offer at least one VR video every day. Samsung is going to power the initiative by providing Times' journalists across the globe with Gear 360 cameras and other equipment.
VR videos released as part of this project can be based on a major news story or just on something of interest. The first video covers a serious story from the Middle East but others might just be about the fashion week. We can expect to see some related to the upcoming US presidential elections as well.
“In collaborating with The New York Times, we want Samsung’s innovative products and services to show how coverage of the world’s most important stories can be made richer, more useful, and more human when augmented by 360-degree experiences,” said Marc Mathieu, chief marketing officer at Samsung Electronics America.
Viewers won't necessarily need a Gear VR headset to view these VR videos as much of it is going to be web-based VR that can be viewed on PC. They will also be available through the Times' iOS and Android apps.
