The Foo Show is already exploring the future of virtual media

Virtual reality is changing games. You can see that the second you put on the headset and boot up a shooter like Hover Junkers. But it’s also already changing virtual reality — and it could give us one of our first cyber stars.

The Foo Show is a new virtual reality series that is going to kick into full, weekly production this summer, and it has me convinced that gaming isn’t the only form of entertainment that will thrive on this new platform. The first installment of Foo (called “Episode 0”) is out now, and I used both the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift headsets to explore the program’s digital studio while host Will Smith talked with the creators of the excellent adventure game Firewatch (all taking the form of low-polygon 3D models) about their project. It was surreal getting to stand next to other people in VR (even if it was a recording), and it blew me away when Smith invited his guests and me into a simulation of one of Firewatch’s key locations. I came out of this experience wanting more as well as thinking that Foo could enable content creators, storyteller, and even marketers to engage audiences and consumers in an entirely new way.