Virtual Reality at SAPPHIRE NOW 2016

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Virtual Reality at SAPPHIRE NOW 2016

In case you were not in Orlando in May for SAPPHIRE NOW and ASUG Annual Conference, you can still get a glimpse into the experience online.

We’ve captured the event in some exciting 360 Virtual Reality videos.

See the SAPPHIRE NOW 2016 Event Highlights in Virtual Reality
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgZjOCYkwnQ

Take a tour of the show floor.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLT40CdhRWmHDmVhM3X11zpeEx3W8jMYlW

Tip: View through Chrome for best playback.

While Virtual Reality is an emerging immersive technology that puts a viewer in a scene like never before, its potential uses span far beyond videos games. Since Facebook purchased Oculus Rift and Google released their cardboard headset, Virtual Reality has become a trending topic. This is why we wanted to test it out at SAPPHIRE NOW. As an additional offering to the live streaming, it provides viewers the next closest thing to the true reality of being at the event.

Why did we do it?

• The SAPPHIRE NOW show floor is a truly unique experience and we wanted to share this through video.
• Whereas a traditional video makes you a fly on the wall, Virtual Reality embeds you in a scene, allowing you to relive, or experience, SAPPHIRE NOW like never before.
• SAPPHIRE NOW is one of the first events using VR to share the experience with a virtual audience.

How does it work?

• Virtual Reality cameras still aren’t widely available so we used a specially designed rig of 10 cameras and stitched the feed together.
• While best experienced using a headset, Virtual Reality can be experienced online or using your phone.
• Open the video on the YouTube app and use your phone screen as a movable viewer.
• Click and drag your cursor on the YouTube screen to scroll around the 360 environment.

It may be too soon to answer the question posed by David Kushner in his May 23, 2016 Rolling Stone article Will Virtual Reality Change Your Life?

But it could be the future of events. Let us know what you think.

Learn more about SAPPHIRE NOW at www.sapandasug.com.