The Ozo Nokia spherical camera for virtual reality, aimed at Hollywood film-makers, is the company’s shot to become, once again, a leader in the industry. A feat that it held, but lost for some time now.
Last night at an event in Los Angeles, Nokia officially announced Ozo. You see, this won’t be an affordable camera that can shoot VR. It’s meant to be used by Hollywood film-makers in their high-budget films.
Nokia announced that their camera will be priced in the middle five figure range. Enthusiasts, or hobbyists aren’t their target demographic. But don’t despair just yet. If it’s successful, be certain that Nokia will release something for the average Joe too.
With Microsoft writing off a staggering $7.6 billion in Nokia costs, the old phone-manufacturer turns towards other markets in order to get a grip on something.
The Ozo Nokia spherical camera can be just the thing that prompts them back as leaders of an industry. The Ozo VR camera is a next-gen device that can capture audio, and video in 360 degrees.
It’s still in pre-production, but what we’ve seen so far puts it on the Keep Your Eyes On This list. You see, virtual reality rendering can take up to a couple of days, but Ozo can do it in a few minutes. Mind you, in low quality, but film-makers need to see their footage fast. Filming costs money, and losing money isn’t on Hollywood’s plans.
Because it makes virtual reality in real-time, and because it has a live monitoring option, directors may be enticed to use it more than other devices on the market.
GoPro announced that they bought a virtual reality company in May, and that they are planning on building a spherical camera. Later in May, they announced their sort-of alliance with Google, and their new Jump tech. Even Samsung is working hard on building a VR camera.
With more and more tech industry behemoths getting themselves into virtual reality, the Ozo Nokia spherical camera won’t encounter smooth sailing. Our only hope is that it won’t be a flop, and that Nokia will release a consumer product – sometime in the future.
When you are transported in the Ozo-produced VR, everything feels more real, than virtual. The Ozo takes advantage of the fact that it can record audio, and it uses this feature to make VR feel more enjoyable, and why not, even shocking.
If you hear a dog barking behind you, you can turn around and see the animal in question.
The official price for the Ozo Nokia spherical camera isn’t known at the moment, but we’ll know more when it’s going to officially launch this Fall.
