Last May, on a note about the world premiere of JAILBIRDS: Bwa Kayiman VR experience I mentioned that its presentation happens at a pivotal moment in which through an unprecedented partnership, NewImages Festival (France), Tribeca Festival (USA) and Cannes XR join forces to fully democratize access to VR and immersive creation. I wrote, then, that “from June 9th to the 20th the three festivals will partner in order to produce a unique and VR dedicated platform available to everyone. All VR works in competition will be visible online via the virtual exhibition XR3.”
This unique digital showcase brings together more than 55 virtual reality experiences, including a number of 2021 premieres, and hand picked selections of works from some of the most acclaimed VR creators and studios in the world. Back in May I wrote that “all festival sections will be hosted at the MOR – Museum of Other Realities in a bespoke virtual venue created by the MOR team, and collaborating artists.”
What I did not know then was that the app, which is usually paid, was going to be available for FREE, if you download it from both participant platforms, Steam and VivePort before 20 Jun at 11:00pm. The unique VR museum that MOR represents has gone free in honor of the XR3 Virtual Exhibition. There is a good reason for this: to access the XR3 virtual exhibition content you need the base title Museum of Other Realities. Once you’ve MOR installed in your computer you can acquire the content available for each of the festivals, Cannes XR, Tribeca and NewImages, which cost, each $14.99.
The XR3 showcase is a large-scale, multi-chaptered virtual exhibition divided into three major sections (Cannes XR, NewImages, Tribeca), each containing between a dozen and twenty high-end virtual reality experiences. We’ve covered some of the titles that will be present at the festivals here at ProVideo Coalition, in recent weeks.
From JAILBIRDS: Bwa Kayiman, a VR narrative experience on a human scale, a fantastic tale about the prison system and human freedom, to The Book of Distance, a virtual pilgrimage about immigration, there is a long list of titles that justify a visit. The XR3 virtual showcase at the Museum of Other Realities is available in two parts, with a first edition running from June 9 to 20, 2021 and the second edition running from July 6 to 17, 2021. It’s important to note that between June 20 and July 6 the XR3 showcase will be closed, and will only relaunch for the second edition on July 6.
To visit the online and Virtual Reality sections of the three festivals you need to have a VR headset compatible with the experience. It should be noted that the XR3 Virtual Exhibition is compatible with a variety of VR headsets, but Facebook’s Oculus Quest users will need to have a Link connection – or a wireless alternative, if available – to watch the content, as the exhibit is designed to work with PCVR headsets, either Oculus Rift S, Valve Index, HTC Vive and Windows Mixed Reality headsets. A note from the organizers warns users: your headset have to be wired!
These are not games…
It’s important to also remember that to access VR experiences presented in each section users should download a festival ‘DLC’ (downloadable content) package and that for optimal performance, it is recommended to download the XR3 showcase in sections (Cannes XR, NewImages, Tribeca) if you’ve acquired tickets for all the festivals.
Users should also make sure they have sufficient disk space on your PC before purchasing the ticket, and entering virtual reality, as the festival DLC packages are download-heavy files, their size may vary between 30 and 50 GB. The organizers note that it is important to “leave a sufficient amount of time to download the content on your PC before entering virtual reality” and recommend “downloading each festival DLC separately, at least two hours before visiting the showcase.”
Besides having the space and bandwidth to download the large DLCs, users should also confirm they’ve a computer able to run the base VR experience MOR and the XR3 content. I’ve seen multiple comments in Steam of people that don’t understand MOR is not a “game” and that a powerful computer is needed to visit the museum. Also, a note at the top of the page reminds users that the app “Requires a virtual reality headset.”
Free on Steam and Viveport
One final note that I think is important: the MOR app is only available for free at the Steam and Viveport platforms while it still costs $19.99 at Facebook’s Oculus. This is somehow a departure of what’s been usual, with some VR experiences being an Oculus exclusive, and it’s a change I welcome, because with Facebook opting for the Oculus Quest wireless route – and its mandatory Facebook registration to use its VR headsets – consumers need to have alternatives. The fact that Facebook decided to abandon the PCVR market may have played a part in the decision by the XR3 trio and MOR to define which platforms offer the app for FREE. Still, Oculus users can get it at either Steam of Viveport, before 20 Jun at 11:00pm.
Even if you don’t acquire tickets for the Cannes XR, Tribeca and NewImages festivals, the Museum of Other Realities is an essential app to have in your library of VR titles. The museum contains a growing collection of interactive art and experimentation, supporting artists who are challenging and redefining what is possible with virtual reality art. The MOR has showcased pieces from artists around the world, celebrating their incredible work and fostering community.
Here are some key features of the virtual space in the Museum of Other Realities:
- Step into a painting, float through abstract worlds, surround yourself with fantastic sounds, experience art as it evolves and takes form.
- Enjoy a collective multiplayer experience with old friends or make new ones in a gallery you can visit from anywhere.
- With regular art updates and events on an ongoing basis, the MOR grows and evolves into a space you can return to for new experiences.
The recent partnership with Cannes XR, Tribeca and NewImages festivals signals that although live in-person events are slowly returning, hybrid events will be the future, with virtual exhibitions, presenting the best of immersive creation, using a platform dedicated to VR and accessible to all audiences: MOR, which seems to be the ideal solution, moving forward. One more reason to add the title to the growing collection of apps forming your VR library.