ABOUT

Launched at the Geneva Motor Show 2015 for Lexus Europe, Hammerhead have developed one of the most ambitious 360 video projects for VR yet. Lexus Virtual Drive is a cross-platform 360 HD video VR race experience for the new Lexus RC F.

Users can enjoy the brutal elegance of the RC F, choosing between a smooth or more aggressive ride style. Sweeping around the world famous Ascari track in Spain, this 3-minute experience switches between interior, passenger viewpoints, super fast trackside shots, and unique exterior on-car shots that give dramatic ‘thrill ride’ angles.

Lexus Virtual Drive was released for Oculus Rift as part of the Geneva Motor Show RC F launch, with a pan European mobile application released for mobile VR headsets including Google Cardboard, Zeiss VR One and other Android and iOS compatible VR headsets. The mobile apps also supported standard 360 video playback using the device gyroscopes.

Producing a high octane VR race experience that also feels completely comfortable and natural, required R&D and new approaches to the VR production, masking, stitching and performance optimisation. Ensuring the application was robust and met the demands of continuous event use, Hammerhead also designed a scalable hardware and application network for testing and deployment, with live remote management infrastructure for Geneva.

Lexus Virtual Drive was produced by Hammerhead VR in collaboration with digital agency Amaze, film company TX, and 360 video player FinWe.