Audi has redefined in-car entertainment during the recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that was held in Las Vegas. A partnership between Audi, Disney, Marvel, and Audi co-founded start-up Holoride introduced “Rocket’s Rescue Run” a virtual reality experience designed to transform the ride sharing experience.
Next time you hail an Uber or Lyft you could find yourself side-by-side (virtually speaking) Rocket Raccoon in a battle against Thanos. This experience demonstrates a future in which passengers will be able to experience movies, video games, and interactive content even more realistically using virtual reality glasses. The premium brand is presenting a technology that adopts virtual content to the movements of a vehicle in real time.
Audi has demonstrated the immersive futuristic technology with “Marvel’s Avengers: Rocket’s Rescue Run,” an in-car VR experience for backseat passengers being brought to life by Disney Games and Interactive Experiences. Wearing VR glasses, the passenger in an Audi e-tron, Audi’s first all electric SUV, is transported into a fantastical depiction of outer space: The Audi e-tron now functions as the ship manned by the Guardians of the Galaxy, as the passenger makes their way through an asteroid field together with Rocket, a character that will appear in Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Endgame in spring 2019. Every movement of the car is reflected in the experience in real time. If the car turns a tight corner, the player curves around an opposing spaceship in virtual reality. If the Audi e-tron accelerates, the ship in the experience does the same.
In order to establish this new category of entertainment on the market as quickly and comprehensively as possible, Audi is taking a new approach: The premium brand has co-founded a start-up named Holoride, in which it holds a minority interest through the subsidiary Audi Electronics Venture GmbH, which developed the technology. Furthermore, Audi will license the technology to Holoride. The start-up will use an open platform to allow carmakers and content developers to create and offer additional extended reality formats. “Creative minds will use our platform to come up with fascinating worlds that turn the journey from A to B into a real adventure,” said Nils Wollny, Head of Digital Business at Audi, and future CEO of Holoride. “We can only develop this new entertainment segment by adopting a cooperative, open approach for vehicle, device and content producers.”
Audi and Marvel Studios have been teaming up since the inception of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, beginning with the appearance of the Audi R8 in Iron Man (2008). Drawing upon this long relationship, Audi and Disney Games and Interactive Experiences together created “Marvel’s Avengers: Rocket’s Rescue Run,” to demonstrate how a backseat passenger can enjoy their journey, even more, using the most innovative VR technology. “Audi, Marvel, and Disney Games and Interactive Experiences are celebrating Marvel Studios’ 10th anniversary with an Avengers experience that combines world-class content and innovative technology,” commented Mike Goslin, Vice President, Disney Games, and Interactive Experiences. “While this CES demo was developed purely in the spirit of exploration and experimentation, we are constantly evaluating emerging technologies to enhance our stories and experiences.”
Ride sharing already gives us the freedom to travel without watching the road. Its only a matter of time until self driving cars remove our reliance on the ride sharing service to effortlessly transport us. As we enter a world of worry free travel entertaining distractions are sure to be on the rise. As Disney fans we now know that Audi & Holoride will have interactive entertainment suited to our personal preferences.
Would in car virtual reality make you more likely to ditch your car and hail and Uber instead? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
Source: The Verge