At its launch event Monday night in Los Angeles, Nokia announced that they are now accepting pre-orders for its OZO virtual reality camera with initial orders shipping in the first quarter of 2016.
Nokia also shed some light on the price for professional creators: $60,000
VRScout previously covered some of the initial specs of the camera system last month, but we were finally able to get some hands on demos at the OZO launch party.
The event brought in attendees from film studios, advertising agencies, and familiar faces within the VR industry. To show off the Nokia OZO’s ability to shoot and broadcast live VR footage, as well as stitch images in real time from multiple lenses, the company allowed attendees to watch a live performance of the band Best Coast from across town, broadcast in full 3D 360 VR, in a Samsung Gear VR headset.
Additionally, Nokia featured pre-recorded sample footage for attendees to experience on either the HTC Vive, Oculus Rift Crescent Bay, STARVR, or Gear VR headset.
Nokia also showed off for the first time both their OZO Remote Application (OSX 10.10 only) and the Creator Application for directors to preview live the footage coming out of the OZO virtual reality camera while on set.
Although the higher than expected price point did shock a few attendees, Nokia will be providing OZO cameras to companies that can rent them out, lowering the barrier to entry for professional creators to jump right in with the virtual reality camera.
One of the more impressive demos from the event was shown off in a more private room. The demo featured 360×360 surround sound recorded with eight microphones and rendered by software to follow headset orientation in real-time.
“We’re at the dawn of an exciting new medium that will transform the way people connect to stories, events, and the world around them,” said Ramzi Haidamus, president of Nokia Technologies. “OZO is a powerful tool designed for the professional creators who will answer the most exciting and intriguing questions about the possibilities for virtual reality.”
And possibilities are what the Nokia OZO opens up for professional VR creators. Although not perfect in every way, the Nokia OZO is a big step forward in the right direction to finally having a wireless integrated camera solution for broadcasting full 3D 360 audio and video, all in a tiny package.
Image Credit: VRScout
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