into-the-storm-oculus-rift-comic-conA number of Oculus Rift experiences have popped up at this week’s annual Comic Con event in San Diego. At least one, a promotional demo for Warner Bros. new film Into the Storm,  is confirmed to use the just-released Oculus Rift DK2 VR headset for a promotional mixed reality experience.

Marketers have caught on quickly, realizing that short promotional virtual reality demos are a great way to immerse users in branded experiences. It takes time to create polished full length games, and developers need more than just a few months to get it right. However, in this transitional phase of mainstream VR adoption, it’s easy enough to whip together a VR ‘experience’ where the user is immersed, for just a few minutes, but not necessarily interacting.

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Among a number of such experiences at Comic Con this week, at least one is confirmed to be using the just-released Oculus Rift DK2. Warner Bros. has whipped up an experience to promote the forthcoming film Into the Stormwhich releases on August 8th.

According to a video we dug up of the demo, the experience lasts about a minute and a half and puts the user inside of a tunnel where people are trying to escape a powerful tornado. A powerful air compressor blasts wind at the users for a mixed-reality experience that corroborates the virtual wind seen within the demo.

At 0:36 in the video, both players wince at something presumably flying at them in the demo with a completely convincing reaction. It’s virtual reality’s ability to immersive to such levels, that instinctive reactions still happen, that makes the technology so compelling.

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Ben is the world's most senior professional analyst solely dedicated to the XR industry, having founded Road to VR in 2011—a year before the Oculus Kickstarter sparked a resurgence that led to the modern XR landscape. He has authored more than 3,000 articles chronicling the evolution of the XR industry over more than a decade. With that unique perspective, Ben has been consistently recognized as one of the most influential voices in XR, giving keynotes and joining panel and podcast discussions at key industry events. He is a self-described "journalist and analyst, not evangelist."