Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Business
  3. News

Flying could feel more like going to the movies with VR headsets and headphones

Hillary K. Grigonis
By
Alaska Airlines

In-flight entertainment could soon feel more like chilling in a movie theater than trying to pass the time in a cramped seat with hundreds of strangers — not because seats are getting bigger (sorry) but by using virtual reality (VR). On Monday, September 24, Alaska Airlines announced trials for a type of virtual reality entertainment, claiming the spot as the first airline to introduce the technology to North America.

Using a headset and noise-canceling headphones, first-class passengers on board the trial flights can view 2D and 3D movies as well as some 360 videos. While the headset won’t allow you to jump out of the seat to interact with a virtual world, the list of entertainment options at the launch of the trial will include movies like Ready Player One, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, and Ferdinand among other titles.

Recommended Videos

The headsets are from a partnership with SkyLights, a French-American company. With noise-canceling headphones and the VR headsets allowing passengers to see nothing but the content, the airline says the experience will feel more like going to a movie theatre than traditional in-flight entertainment.

Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines isn’t making any promises that VR will be on more future flights, but the airline will test the experience on ten flights between Boston and Seattle as well as flights between Boston and San Diego. A representative from SkyLight will also fly during those test flights and help flight attendants with the entertainment equipment.

Related

“I’m really excited to see this technology onboard. I was impressed with SkyLight’s Allosky headset early on as it’s the smallest, lightest, and most stylish looking headset in the in-flight entertainment market,” David Scotland, Alaska Airlines Manager of Inflight Entertainment and Connectivity, said. “These trials will help us understand how comfortable our guests are using the technology, and let our flight attendants share feedback about its impact to our in-flight service flow.”

The test comes after the airline used a Guest Advisory Board for feedback on the concept. Using the response from those frequent fliers, SkyLight and the airline tweaked the design of the headset. Changes included more intuitive buttons as well as more options to adjust the lenses.

SkyLights first teased a headset for in-flight entertainment last fall. The first device, the Allosky, used 1080p resolution in each eye.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Hillary K. Grigonis
Hillary K. Grigonis
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Hillary never planned on becoming a photographer—and then she was handed a camera at her first writing job and she's been…
Apple’s AR headset could now come with 3 immersive displays
Apple VR Headset Concept by Antonio De Rosa

Apple’s upcoming mixed reality headset is a hot topic in the world of leaks and rumors, with a big reveal potentially coming later this year. Now, a new report has claimed it will come with three screens for your viewing pleasure.

The report comes from the industry analysts at Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) and outlines ten predictions the firm has for the display industry in 2022. In a section covering Apple’s forthcoming headset, DSCC indicates its belief that the device will incorporate three display modules, comprising two MicroLED panels and one AMOLED display.

Read more
Microsoft and Samsung could team up on new AR headset
microsoft hololens 2

Samsung and Microsoft might be teaming up on a new augmented reality headset, with a possible release coming in 2024, according to a new rumor.

Digital Trends can not verify the original report behind the rumor, but according to The Elec, Microsoft and Samsung have reportedly started working on this project that's scheduled to last two years. Samsung apparently started its task force for the project in March and Microsoft in the summer. Multiple divisions of Samsung's business are also involved in the product, including Samsung Display, Electro-Mechanics, and SDI.

Read more
Pimax’s 12K QLED VR headset wants to take virtual reality to the next level
Pimax's new 12k QLED VR headset.

It seems that virtual reality may be about to become even more real than ever before -- all thanks to a new VR headset. Pimax, a company that manufactures VR equipment, announced the upcoming release of a new 12K QLED VR headset that will feature technologies such as eye tracking, full-body tracking, and refresh rates of up to 200Hz. The headset, dubbed Pimax Reality 12K QLED, is part of the company's venture into the metaverse and a step toward bringing true realism to using VR.

During today's Pimax Frontier event, the company's representatives talked at length about the goals behind the product -- naturalness, self-awareness, and freedom. Pimax wants to bring these qualities into virtual reality and the metaverse, allowing people from all over the world to interact and explore virtual worlds together. While VR technology already allows for some of that to happen, Pimax wants to take it to the next level with its new invention -- the Reality 12K QLED VR headset.

Read more