San Diego Comic-Con kicked off Thursday, bringing with it a fair share of virtual reality activations from some of the biggest entertainment brands present at the four day conference.
Day one saw USA Networks partner up with Within to premiere an exclusive Mr. Robot VR simulcast video at Petco Park, where hundreds of fans all took their seats and donned custom cardboard headsets to watch the experience together with cast members.
But another VR experience, located just down the street, pulled in equally long lines of fans.
In what looked to be a local bar converted into a high security prison, Warner Bros. and Samsung partnered up to create a Suicide Squad experience that included 360° cameras and Gear VR stations showing off a Comic-Con exclusive VR experience.
The recreated Belle Reve penitentiary space ushered in fans through a long hall decorated with barbed wire and prison cells. Once reaching the end of the passage, the film-themed experiences utilizing Samsung’s latest in immersive technology began.
Before entering the main event space, staff members dressed as prison guards placed you in a prison cell with a Gear 360 camera mounted in the middle from the ceiling. A quick 360° photo snap with friends and you were ready to share your Squad experience to the world.
Once inside, an entire side of the facility was lined with Gear VR stations. Each station had a few chairs with Subpac haptic vests attached to the back and a Gear VR headset waiting for action.
The Suicide Squad VR experience was short, only lasting a few minutes, but the first scene was quite compelling as you find yourself floating alongside the actual Suicide Squad as you blast your way through villains.
The second scene is a bit jarring, giving you a behind-the-scenes look of the first scene in 360° that for some reason is shot as a first-person perspective and includes a serious share of motion — something that would likely make most viewers uncomfortable. However, being able to experience what its like to fight alongside Task Force X as a gun battle unfolds around you in the first scene was exhilarating — making it all worth the wait to try out.
For those of you who can’t attend Comic-Con this week, the Suicide Squad VR content will also be available on Samsung VR sometime after the conference concludes.
To coincide with the movie’s world premiere in New York City, Samsung 837, the brand’s experiential flagship where technology and culture collide in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District, will feature Suicide Squad VR content in the space’s VR Tunnel throughout the week of August 1.
As part of the promotion and partnership between the two companies, fans who buy a new Samsung Galaxy tablet at participating retailers between now and August 20 will get two free tickets to see Suicide Squad. The Suicide Squad film opens nationwide on Friday, August 5.
