Considering how well the affordable Samsung Gear VR is selling on the market, it’s no surprise that the company wants to get more people involved with content for it.
The manufacturer has introduced a new program called Samsung Creators, one in which will help educate and inspire filmmakers and influencers alike when it comes to creating content for virtual reality. Launching alongside the rebranded Samsung VR service, Creators is meant to assist with producing programming, including films and shows.
And for those concerned they don’t have the proper tools for the job, Samsung is helping out there as well with the ability to purchase its Gear 360 virtual reality camera at VidCon later this week, where it will be selling for $350. Those that don’t have a chance to make the event, however, will still have a chance to obtain the camera, as the company works toward a general launch sometime later this year.
Even with the limited launch at the event the camera is expected to be snapped up quickly and put to proper use by those interested in producing content. Expectations for both the new program and gear are going through the roof, based upon the popularity of the Gear VR headset. More than one million people have already used it since its launch, and it’s expected to be a major part of the overall VR market, which is expected to reach $40 billion by 2020.
Content creation has always been a major focus for the company. It was a notion further hammered home in on our interview with Samsung chief marketing officer Marc Mathieu last month. “The marketer’s job in the digital age has become the easiest job in the world. You don’t need to do anything anymore. You just need to [put it in the hands of the people] and let them do it for you,” Mathieu explained. “People are dying to do marketing for you if you give them a 360 camera to create content. Why would we want to do marketing when we have the technology platform that a lot of people want to embrace, share and talk about?”
President Tim Baxter had plenty to add with his own [a]listdaily interview earlier in the year. “We’re in virtual reality for two reasons: one, we’re an entertainment company. We create big televisions, mobile phones—this is an entertainment-consumption environment we’re living in, so it’s a big part of our business,” Baxter said. “The other reason is we think we have some unique technologies that are required for VR with the processors in phones, and our screens. Those two things are vital in the VR mobile space. That helped drive our thinking.”
Between both the debut of its camera to the market (even on a limited basis) and the new Creators program, Samsung seems to be headed in a much more devoted direction with VR content. We’ll see how it all pans out—and just when the camera will be available to the public—in the months ahead.
