Become a spy for the resistance in an exclusive VR tie-in mini series
In a massive advertising campaign to generate even more fervor for the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Lucasfilm / Disney has teamed up with Google to bring exclusive content from a galaxy far, far away.
Star Wars: Jakku Spy is now available in a new virtual reality experience that leads directly up to opening day for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The company is calling the new content “the first-of-its-kind serialised Google Cardboard virtual reality experience.”
Essential reading: The best Google Cardboard apps
The new content can only be viewed from within the official Star Wars app on iOS and Android. When you open the app, tap the Jakku Spy tab to access the downloadable content.
You’ll see that the first clip is available now, with eight additional ones scheduled for every few days leading up to 18, December with the next one available on 4, December.
You’ll eventually be able to watch all nine clips at one time. But for now, you’ll have to wait for each one.
While it is exciting to see new, original Star Wars content, especially in virtual reality, the first clip was a bit of a let down. There was very little to see and the clip only lasted about a minute, including the 30-second opening crawl.
After you’ve seen the clip for the first time, you will receive a digital collectable card, complete with Verizon’s logo in the bottom corner.
Jakku Spy appears to be more of an advertising stunt than anything else. So far, it isn’t clear whether this VR series is going to be any good or not, since it only lasted a half of a minute.
If you don’t already have your own Google Cardboard, you can opt to watch the clips in flat-screen mode, which allows you to see the video on one full screen instead of stereoscopy. You can move your smartphone around to view the surrounding landscape.
Or, you could head on down to your local Verizon store and pick up one of four exclusive Star Wars themed Cardboard VR viewers. Choose from BB-8, R2-D2, Kylo Ren, or a Stormtrooper design. Oh, but you have to be a Verizon customer to get one.