Back in the early aughts, it was cool for kids to decorate their rooms with posters of their interests. Now that time-honored tradition is coming to virtual reality thanks to myVR. Set to launch in October for Google Cardboard and Samsung Gear VR, this free app is a new take on social networking in virtual reality.
Hoping to appeal to a wider audience outside of gamers and early adopters, myVR allows viewers to create interactive "rooms." Once created, the rooms act a hub where the owner can post video, news and music via feeds categorized under 21 customizable interests including entertainment, DIY, Sports, Tech News and Life Hacks. In addition to perusing through a friends virtual music collection, you can also browse the web or have a group chat.
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Creating a room is fairly simple. After selecting the decor on myWebRoom, you assign a feed to a certain part of the room. For example, you can designate the television as a music feed, letting you watch videos. For my personal room I chose the Oceanside retreat, which created a room with large bay windows with varying shades of blue paint on the walls. To preserve the feng shui, I kept my interests short, choosing Apps & Gadgets, Tech News, Pets, Music, Games and Videos.
From there, it was up to me to click on an interest and customize my feed choosing from a number of popular sources. Under pets, I had a choice of I Can Haz Cheeseburger gifs, photos and videos along with content from the Dodo, Today Show and Animal Planet. Once the initial room was complete, I started tinkering with the default furnishing, changing my MacBook into a Razer Blade, the chess board into an Oculus Rift and a Dalmatian into an American Pit Bull Terrier, to reflect my handsome boy.
Creating a room via website is a surprisingly in depth and addictive experience, but I'm curious to see how the experience will play out in virtual reality.
