Published , by Brittany Vincent
Published , by Brittany Vincent
HTC Vive's VR for Impact and New Reality Company launched the critically-acclaimed edutainment film Tree for Viveport, which is currently available for download.
Tree finds users seeing the entirety of the Amazon from the point of view of a kapok tree, growing all the way from a small seedling to an older tree that's launched all the way above the tree canopy line. The experience is meant to showcase the depressing nature of deforestation, which finds gorgeous forests and trees being cut down left and right, driven by agricultural expansion. Deforestation also generates more carbon emissions than all of the cars and trucks in the entire world, if you can believe that.
“The magic with virtual reality is that it has the power create empathy and awareness around humankind’s most pressing problems in new immersive ways,” said Rikard Steiber, Viveport president. “New Reality’sTree is a moving and illuminating experience that serves as an example of how we can use the immersive nature of virtual reality to shine a light on critical issues.”
The VR project is currently available for viewing at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos this week by way of a HTC Vive Pro with the Vive Wireless Adapter to let folks on a larger scale check it out, but you can see it in your home right now for $4.99.
Tree is also available now via Viveport Subscription, so you can also opt to view it as one of your free five monthly picks instead of spending a few bucks to permanently add it to your collection. The first 1,000 Vive and Oculus Rift owners who download Tree will be helping to support forest conservation efforts. It looks like an interesting film that should help bring environmental concerns to light, so it's well worth checking out if you have a VR headset.