"Avatar 3": Film Excerpt for Meta Quest Builds Anticipation for VR Cinema

At the beginning of the week, "Avatar: Fire and Ash" celebrated its world premiere in Hollywood. As part of a partnership between James Cameron and Meta, a two-minute film excerpt is currently available exclusively and for a limited time to Meta Quest users. The film scene appears on a virtual screen and offers a sharp image with an impressive 3D depth effect. Since streaming is also stable, there seems to be nothing technically standing in the way of a high-quality VR version of the feature film. However, fans of the film series should be careful, as the excerpt may contain spoilers.

In Meta's "Horizon TV" app, the first and second trailers of the feature film are also available. They are also in 3D and have been specially prepared for VR playback. You can find all three clips by typing "Avatar" in the search field and then scrolling down to the "VR Media" category. More "Avatar" content is expected to be released for Meta Quest soon.

James Cameron and Meta: A Significant 3D Alliance

The multi-year partnership between Meta and James Cameron's Lightstorm Vision was announced a year ago. Lightstorm Vision is a new technology division of James Cameron's production company Lightstorm Entertainment, which, according to the official website, aims "at new display devices." This likely refers to VR headsets.

James Cameron is enthusiastic about the VR cinema experience, as VR headsets can achieve significantly higher brightness levels than conventional cinemas and, thanks to completely separate images for each eye, deliver a razor-sharp 3D image without ghosting.

At the announcement of the partnership, it was stated that Lightstorm Vision and Meta intend to jointly advance the production of high-quality 3D content, including live sports and concerts, feature films, and series with well-known brands. Furthermore, it was emphasized that Meta Quest would be Lightstorm Vision's exclusive VR platform.

Immersive Content: Is Meta Following Apple's Lead?

In addition to the joint production of stereoscopic content, the partnership is designed to provide filmmakers and production companies with the necessary tools to implement their own 3D projects in the future. This suggests that Lightstorm Vision and Meta are working behind the scenes on a camera and post-production pipeline for stereoscopic or immersive content. Apple could serve as a role model, as it has been driving a similar project for Apple Vision Pro with its partner Blackmagic Design for some time.

According to various reports, Meta is planning a particularly compact and lightweight VR headset for the coming year, specifically designed for media consumption. Meta is said to have approached Disney, the film studio A24, and smaller production companies for corresponding content. The collaboration with James Cameron also logically fits into this strategy.

"Avatar: Fire and Ash" will be released in German cinemas on December 17th.

(olb)