Samsung looks to combat the 'death' of bedtime stories with children's VR experience
Samsung has announced the launch of Bedtime VR Stories, a prototype virtual reality product that aims to bring parents together with their children before bedtime with a futuristic form of storytelling.
The brand has cited a claim from the Huffington Post that “Reading to children at bedtime is dying out because parents are too busy” in its promo material, highlighting how the new Gear VR app can function even when parents and children are not in the same part of the world.
When launched onto the market, mums, dads and kids will be able to see and interact with each other through the app thanks to a combination of VR and Voice Over Internet Protocol. The parents will be hooked up to Samsung Gear headset, while their brood will wear a customisable cardboard viewer.
Both parties will operate the story time with two handsets.
Samsung claims the result to be an immersive, shared experience that lasts between six and seven minutes. The first example story released is 'The most wonderful place to be', which takes explorers on a journey through the Arctic with Jen the Penguin, a pre-historic world with Dan the Dinosaur and into space with Jo the Robot.
Much like traditional bedtime stories, Samsung have also integrated morals into their virtual prose, with the first being "wherever we go, the most wonderful place to be is actually by each other’s side".