James Cameron thinks VR is the future of cinema, but Meta needs to solve a major content problem first hamish.hector@futurenet.com (Hamish Hector) | usagoldmines.com

• James Cameron sat down with Meta’s CTO Andrew Bosworth on Bosworth’s podcast to talk VR cinema
• Cameron says VR allows him to finally show his films the way they should be seen
• He teased the Quest 4, but Bosworth stopped Cameron revealing too much

James Cameron, the Hollywood director behind Titanic, The Terminator and Avatar – believes VR headsets are the future of cinema, based on his experience with next-gen Meta Quest headsets that he isn’t allowed to talk about.

And, Meta Quest 4 teasers aside, I think he’s got a point – but Meta needs to make some big changes before Cameron’s vision can become a reality (and I’m not talking about its hardware).

In a sit-down interview with Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth on Bosworth’s Boz to the Future podcast, Cameron was keen to serve as VR cinema’s hype-man.

Cameron explained that VR headsets allow you to get all the benefits of a movie theatre – the curated, 3D, immersive experience – without the downsides – such as a “dim and dull” picture – resulting in an end product that much more closely matches the creator’s vision for the film.

“It was like the heavens parted, light shone down,” Cameron told Bosworth. “There was an angel choir singing. It’s like, ‘Ah’! This is how people can see the movie the way I created it to be seen!”

It seems that Cameron isn’t simply using a Meta Quest 3 or Quest 3S to enjoy his 3D movies either; instead he’s using some Quest prototypes that Andrew Bosworth wasn’t keen for him to talk more about.

While he couldn’t reveal much beyond the prototypes’ existence – which isn’t much considering that Meta very openly develops VR headset prototypes to inspire future designs (and even lets people try them from time to time at tech events) – we do know that the experience is apparently “at least as good as Dolby Laser Vision Cinema” according to Cameron.

It’s the “ne plus ultra” (read: ultimate) theater option according to the director, suggesting that Meta is focusing on visual performance with its prototypes, and therefore possibly making that the main upgrade for the Meta Quest 4 or Meta Quest Pro 2.

As with all leaks and rumors we can’t read too much into Cameron’s comments. Even with these prototypes Meta could focus on other upgrades instead of the display, or it could be designing for the Quest 5 or Quest Pro 3, but given that previous leaks have teased that upcoming Meta headsets will pack an OLED screen it feels safe to assume that visual upgrades are inbound.

That will certainly be no bad thing – in fact it would be a fantastic improvement to Meta’s headsets – but if Meta wants to capture the home cinema experience it shouldn’t just focus on its screens, it needs to focus on content too.

VR’s 3D film problem

I’ve previously discussed how it’s an open secret that the simplest (and really the only) way to watch blockbuster 3D movies on a Quest headset involves some level of digital piracy.

3D movie files are difficult to acquire, and 3D movie rental services from the likes of Bigscreen aren’t currently available. And I’ve also complained how absurd this is because, as James Cameron points out, using your VR headset for cinema is superb, because it immerses you in your own portable, private theater.

So while the prospect of the Meta Quest 4 boasting high-end displays for visual excellency is enticing, I’m more concerned about how Meta will tackle its digital content library issue.

The simplest solution would be to form streaming deals like Apple did with Disney Plus. Disney’s service on the Vision Pro allows users to watch Disney’s 3D content library at no additional charge – though it frustratingly appears to be some kind of exclusivity deal, based on the fact the same benefits are yet to roll out to other headsets or the best AR smart glasses for entertainment.

Another option – which Cameron points to – is for Meta to make exclusive deals with creatives directly, so they create new 3D films just for Quest, although worthwhile films take time (and a lot of money) to produce, meaning that Meta’s 3D catalog can’t rely on fresh exclusives alone.

Hopefully this podcast is a sign that Meta is looking to tackle the 3D movies in VR problem from all sides – both hardware and software – as VR entertainment can be superb.

While it is more isolated than the usual home theater experience, the immersive quality or VR, combined with its ability to display your show or film of choice on a giant virtual screen, is a blast.

At the moment the big drawback is the lack of content – but here’s hoping that’s about to change.

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