Skip to main content

‘Alien: Covenant’ producers hope to hear you scream with upcoming VR title

One of the most powerful aspects of virtual reality (VR) is just how immersive it can be. Put on a VR headset and fire up some particularly strong content, and it’s easy to get completely lost in the virtual world that’s being created.

Some virtual worlds wouldn’t be quite as much fun to be immersed in, however. The Alien franchise, with its H. R. Giger-inspired monsters and generally dark and horrifying motif, is one of them, presenting as terrifying an environment as one can draw from anything in popular culture. And of course, that’s precisely why Fox Innovation Lab and filmmaker Ridley Scott are partnering to bring the upcoming Alien: Covenant film to VR, as Variety reports.

Recommended Videos

According to the upcoming title’s news release, the creative team behind it knows exactly how terrifying the experience could be, saying “Viewers will discover the true meaning of terror as they navigate through horrifying alien environments and a story where every decision could mean the difference between life and death.”

Scott will produce the new title with David Karlak acting as the director. The same team of Scott’s RSA Films, the Fox Innovation Lab, and Technicolor Company’s MPC VR that created the decidedly more uplifting The Martian VR Experience VR title at CES 2016, will be at the helm of the Alien: Covenant VR project.

The team doesn’t just see this as a promotional activity for the movie, which is set to release in May 2017. Rather, as 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment and Fox Innovation Lab President Mike Dunn puts it, “We see VR as a new media opportunity, not just a promotional vehicle. Our intention from the moment we developed our business plan was to be in the commercial VR business.”

That means that far from simply replaying the movie using a VR system, which would be scary enough, the Alien: Covenant VR title will allow players to become part of the action itself.

The tagline for the original Alien was “In space no one can hear you scream.” In the upcoming VR version of Alien: Covenant, it’s likely that everyone will hear you.

Mark Coppock
Mark Coppock is a Freelance Writer at Digital Trends covering primarily laptop and other computing technologies. He has…
Amazon is selling this Sansui curved gaming monitor for only $230
A person playing video games on the Sansui ES-G34C5 curved gaming monitor.

You don't have to spend several hundred dollars to get a solid screen for your PC gaming setup. There are affordable monitor deals for gamers on a tight budget. Here's one from Amazon: the Sansui ES-G34C5 curved gaming monitor for only $230, following a 12% discount on its original price of $260. The $30 in savings doesn't look like much, but every dollar saved goes a long way in this hobby, so you should proceed with your purchase quickly to make sure you don't miss it.

Why you should buy the Sansui ES-G34C5 curved gaming monitor

Read more
Microsoft Edge Canary new tab page replaces MSN with Copilot
Microsoft Edge appears on a computer screen with plants and a window in the background.

Microsoft is testing a new Copilot-powered interface in the Canary version of Edge, replacing the MSN feed on the New Tab Page in an attempt to streamline browsing, according to Windows Latest. Users can enable it via experimental flags.

If the new design rolls out to the stable version, Copilot will replace the familiar MSN feed as the first thing you see when you open a new tab. You'll see a compose box in an uncluttered design with a greeting message that asks, "How can I help you today?"

Read more
This 27-inch gaming monitor from Samsung is nearly 50% off
A Samsung 27-inch G65B Curved Gaming Monitor on a white background.

You need a good gaming monitor to keep up with the lightning-fast PC titles on the market. Color accuracy, response time, and input lag are all factors to consider when shopping for a new game display. When it comes to all of the above, one brand that always delivers is Samsung, and it just so happens that one of Samsung’s top monitors is on sale today: 

For a limited time, you can get the Samsung 27-inch Odyssey G65B Gaming Monitor for $360. The MSRP on this model is $700, so you're getting this display at nearly 50% off.

Read more