The New York Times recently announced NYT VR, a virtual reality collaboration the news organisation is launching with search giant Google. As part of the launch, over a million New York Times home subscribers will receive Google Cardboard viewers with their regular paper on the weekend of November 7-8 2015.
The NYT VR Google Cardboard give-away is not only for subscribers to the physical edition of the paper however. Selected digital subscribers will also get a chance to grab one of the viewers for themselves too. Subscribers to Times Insider, select number of Times digital subscribers will receive promotional codes which can be used to redeem a free Google Cardboard viewer.
The Google Cardboard viewer is a simple cardboard device that allows any smartphone user to view virtual reality content. In collaborating with Google the New York Times is looking deliver news content to its audience in an engaging and modern way.
As VR technology improves and more content is produced for the medium, the newspaper is staking its claim on being the leader in virtual reality news delivery. “The power of VR is that it gives the viewer a unique sense of empathic connection to people and events,” said Jake Silverstein, editor in chief, The New York Times Magazine.
In a press release Mr Silverstein went on to say: “In the context of international reporting and conflict reporting, where our readers rely on us to bring them news and stories from remote and inaccessible places, this has huge potential. Through an immersive NYT VR video experience, we can put our readers at the centre of the most important story of our time.”
The first film to be shown through NYT VR is “The Displaced”, a programme that focuses on the resilience of three extraordinary children uprooted by war. The film is the result of a collaboration between the New York Times Magazine and Chris Milk of virtual reality company Vrse.
Of the partnership with the New York Times, Mike Jazayeri, director of project management for VR at Google had this to say: “Google Cardboard brings the magic of virtual reality to anyone with a smartphone in an easy to use way, . . . “We’re excited to support The New York Times’s use of immersive storytelling at an unprecedented scale to bring awareness to this important issue.”
It will be interesting to see how the New York Times utilises NYT VR in the delivery of its news content in the future. The give-away of an easy and simple way to view virtual reality content through Google Cardboard will surely encourage early and widespread adoption.
This is certainly a great step forward for a now seemingly ancient method such as newsprint by the New York Times as it employs the most advanced technologies to continue its legacy.
