Sports Illustrated's annual swimsuit issue is joining the virtual reality trend. The newly launched SI Swimsuit app includes VR video content that supports both and accessories.
According to , the app will launch with five VR videos for free, with additional videos added on a weekly basis that can be checked out for an additional fee. They will feature many of SI's swimsuit models in full 360-degree videos. The print edition of the SI Swimsuit issue will also come with a Cardboard-like viewer:
For those who either don't have access to a VR headset or simply don't pick up the print issue for its pack-in viewer, there's an option to watch the videos on a smartphone. The SI team calls this the "magic window," and it's slickly done: You can spin around and peer at the models in a seamless, 360-degree environment.
The article adds that the idea for adding VR content to the app happened when Chris Hercik, the creative director of Sports Illustrated, got a demo of the upcoming headset several months ago in Seattle:
"I immediately flew back and said, 'I have to get people to see this, because I really think it's going to be a game changer.' We got the staff to see it. We looked at it. And we're like right away, 'We gotta do a shoot.' We knew we had to do something in VR for this year," says Hercik."
You can download the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit app .
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