Skip to main content

Sports Illustrated tackles VR with first-person documentary ‘Capturing Everest’

Sports Illustrated promises to capture “the first complete ascent of Everest in VR” as part of its upcoming virtual reality miniseries Capturing Everest, giving VR enthusiasts an opportunity to experience the treacherous climb from a first-person perspective.

Filmed entirely with 360-degree video, Capturing Everest documents a recent two-month ascent undertaken by a team of four expert mountain climbers. The production will premiere in early 2017.

Recommended Videos

Virtual reality applications have long attempted to simulate the experience of mountain climbing, and many Oculus Rift and HTC Vive VR games feature first-person climbing as a primary gameplay mechanic. While applications like Everest VR simulate the trek using constructed 3D environments, however, Sports Illustrated’s documentary will feature live video throughout, upping the realism significantly.

“Summiting Everest has captivated the imagination like few other athletic feats,” said Sports Illustrated’s editorial director Chris Stone. “Capturing an ascent in VR makes the unattainable seem attainable while at the same time reinforcing the mythology of Everest. This production is both extraordinarily real and unreal all at once. We are thrilled to bring the viewer along for the odyssey.”

Sports Illustrated notes that the production is the first of its kind to cover a complete Mount Everest ascent from start to finish. Capturing Everest is the latest documentary to debut as part of Sports Illustrated’s recently launched Life VR platform, and footage will also be available for viewing at the publication’s website.

“Attacking the world’s highest summit seemed like the perfect place to go with our new VR initiative,” Life VR managing editor Mia Tramz explains, “and by partnering with Endemol Shine and adding in the world-class storytellers from Sports Illustrated, I think we have something truly special and unique to offer our audience. We can’t wait to bring viewers along for this once-in-a-lifetime journey. This is exactly the type of experience Life VR was created for.”

Danny Cowan
Former Contributor
Danny’s passion for video games was ignited upon his first encounter with Nintendo’s Duck Hunt, and years later, he still…
The robot takeover comes another step closer — at Amazon
An Amazon robot working inside one of the company's warehouses.

Amazon is close to having more robots operating inside its warehouses than humans after the e-commerce giant announced this week that it now has more than a million robots working at its facilities around the world.

Over the years, Amazon has spent billions of dollars on the development and deployment of warehouse-based robots, which handle an array of tasks once performed by human workers.

Read more
This Lenovo ThinkPad laptop is over $1,400 off — hurry while stocks last!
The Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 5 Intel laptop on a white background.

Now's an excellent time to take advantage of laptop deals from Lenovo, which has slashed the prices of a wide range of devices for its Black Friday in July sale. Lenovo's ThinkPad laptops are up to 45% off, and here's one of the most interesting offers available with such a discount — the Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 5 at $1,440 off its estimated value of $3,199, so you'll only have to pay $1,759. That's an excellent price for this fantastic productivity tool, but you're going to have to push forward with your purchase as soon as possible because stocks may run out at any moment.

BUY NOW

Read more
Early Prime Day deal: Samsung’s 27-inch Odyssey G3 at its annual low price
Samsung Odyssey G3 gaming monitor on desk with keyboard and headset.

If you're ready to upgrade your monitor, this Samsung deal over at Amazon just might be your best bet. The 27-inch version of Samsung's Odyssey G3 is $130 right now, a full $100 off its regular $230 price and its lowest price of the year. It's a part of early Prime Day deals and a good sampling of what we can expect for the shopping holiday, which officially lands on July 8th. Tap the button below to see it for yourself or keep reading to see why we like this deal and why this should be your next monitor.

Buy Now

Read more