Samsung Gear VR takes Lollapalooza to a new level

Lollapalooza brought over 300,000 fans into Chicago’s famed Grant Park from July 31st – August 2nd. The Samsung Galaxy Owner’s Lounge returned to Lollapalooza this year for another epic lounge experience. Samsung owners were invited to escape the heat, hydrate, and indulge in the latest technologies including: Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge phones and Samsung LEVEL headphone collection. Tibs and I couldn’t wait to get in on this year’s action.

The Samsung Lounge has always been a favorite for me. Last year, Heather and I connected with Chromeo at the party. This year did not disappoint. Sunday’s post-evacuation party was DJ’d by A$AP J. Scott and A$AP Lou and was followed by a special guest appearance by A$AP Rocky himself. Previous days included appearances by Theophilus London, Kaskade, The Chainsmokers, Lion Babe, and Charlie XCX to boot.

Attendees of the lounge were able to view live performances through their newest product, the Samsung Gear VR. The virtual reality simulator brought us onto the Samsung Stage with current performers George Ezra and Twenty One Pilots, as it was happening to our right. The headset runs in store for an approachable $199 and utilizes free access to Samsung’s Milk TV. Four cameras were set up on the Samsung Stage, so viewers could get a full 360 degree view in the headset. I felt like I was in the center of the action.

Not limited to Lollapalooza, I was also able to check out archives of other concerts, sports, and fashion events.

Tibs got to sit down with the VR too and had this to say about his experience watching this year’s NBA Slam Dunk Contest.

“I just wanted to add how cool my experience was with the NBA demo they uploaded for me. They post you at a couple different spots in the front row to watch Zach LaVine’s acrobatic dunks from different angles. Being an NBA nerd, I watched the Dunk Contest live and relived it many times since on YouTube. I took advantage of the VR experience by looking all the way to the left, or all the way to the right while LaVine was taking flight. On the left, I saw Andre Iguodala’s raw reaction to the dunk, the instant LaVine threw it down. On the right, James Harden & Russell Westbrook. Just watching them react in real time (which was not caught on the TV broadcast) sparked the various possibilities of implementing VR at sporting events. Take a look at what I saw below.”