Hulu dives into VR with a Samsung Gear VR app

We stand at an interesting point in human history in regards to virtual reality. What a lot of people don’t realize is that VR truly is the next massive platform. However, the general public, and many corporate entities, are currently viewing it as more of a niche phenomenon. The companies that are going the extra mile to get in on the ground floor of this movement will more than likely see massive gains for their efforts. Now Hulu has taken the dive by launching a dedicated app for the Samsung Gear VR that lets users stream 360-degree videos.

You can find the app in the Gear VR Oculus Store, and in addition to usual 360-degree fare, Hulu is also letting you access their entire library of traditional 2D television and movie streaming. These you get to watch in a virtual living room kept in much better condition than your own, so while you’re binging out you can pretend to be a far better homekeeper than you actually are.  

We caught a glimpse of Hulu’s plans for VR all the way back in September, but the company believed that the service wasn’t quite ready for public use. Representatives say that the company didn’t have the 3D library that they really wanted to have at launch, and they didn’t want users to give the app a whirl, then write it off as novelty. The key is making it a pleasing experience over a longer period of time, and to do that they had to go the extra mile in terms of developing the app’s immersive capabilities and expanding their VR-ready library.

Right now, Hulu VR comes packaged with almost 30 360-degree videos made from the likes of Discovery Communications, National Geographic, Showtime, Viacom, RYOT, and Baobab Studios. Right now, the VR content is free to view even if you don’t have a Hulu Plus subscription.

What are your thoughts on Hulu’s foray into the world of virtual reality? If you’re the owner of a Gear VR, give the app a spin and then report back your thoughts in the comments below! As always, stay tuned to Android Authority to stay abreast of everything that is impacting our mobile devices and the services we use them for.