What sets V-Nova PresenZ apart isn’t just technical innovation but seamless integration with existing production pipelines. Studios can now output content in this without reinventing their entire workflow.

Since I first tried VR, in London, in the early 1990s, at the Trocadero, that I’ve been impressed with the technology and hoping to see it go mainstream. Unfortunately, the last couple of years VR has become more of a niche, as everybody seems to be excited with AR/MR, as if mixing the real and virtual worlds is the path forward. Well, things may be about to change, and I just had a chance to try some exciting technology from V-Nova that aims to bring cinematic 6 DoF experiences to life… in VR.

The debut of V-Nova PresenZ is marked by two experiences, “Sharkarma: Guardian of the Oceans”, an environmental action-adventure film that plunges viewers into marine conservation, and “Weightless” – a dimensional music experience from Grammy-winning composer Diane Warren and performer Arilena Ara.

Virtual Reality calls for full immersion, and that means 360 degrees. If you’re familiar with the series of AmazeVR concerts available on the Steam platform, you know they are not 360 degrees but 180. They are great and do allow for a unique experience in terms of music, but Weightless by Arilena Ara takes us to a new level of immersion and points to the future of VR concerts. No longer do you see the sides of the screen; you’re in the middle of the action and it’s all around you. This technology allows audiences to look around, behind, and beyond objects and characters with cinematic-quality visuals—all without the motion sickness typically associated with VR experiences. I know it’s true, because my wife, who normally has trouble watching VR, saw all the content now available without a single sign of motion sickness. She was fully immersed into the experience!

I downloaded the demos available from V-Nova and bought the first part of the film Sharkarma: Guardian of the Oceans, and spent hours, before writing this, exploring the content and sharing it with family. I am a happy camper and amazed at what the “official” debut of V-Nova PresenZ means: viewers no longer simply watch films. Instead, they step inside them, freely exploring hyper-realistic environments that respond to their every movement. That’s what VR is good for! Both titles now available showcase unprecedented Six-Degrees-of-Freedom (6DoF) capabilities. Included in the downloads is Construct VR, a short film that shows the capabilities of a fully volumetric distributable pre-rendered movie… and has been around for a few years now.

Technology won three Lumiere Awards

Yes, the PresenZ format is not new, in fact I’ve seen it before, as it is the first actual action movie in six-degree-of-freedom (6DoF) photorealistic VR, exploring unprecedented and game-changing dimensions for the medium. Construct VR, with a runtime of 8 minutes, is an immersive adaptation of the short movie created by Kevin Margo. The PresenZ format keeps the original design and visual quality while transforming the short movie into a fully immersive experience. Construct VR won two Lumiere awards in 2018: best technical achievement and the audience award. Watch it and you’ll be amazed! One word of caution that I will need to repeat during this text: AMD cards are not supported, you’ll need to have a Nvidia GTX 1080 or the modern RTX cards.

The actual V-Nova PresenZ has another Lumiere Award, as V-Nova was awarded the Lumiere Award by The Advanced Imaging Society (AIS), in 2022, for its innovative Point Cloud Compression technology – V-Nova PresenZ format. The project showcased the future of immersive metaverse and media applications by compressing hundreds of gigabytes of data, making it manageable for distribution and real-time decoding on major VR gaming setups. The award ceremony took place in Las Vegas during the NAB Show 2022. The Lumiere Awards recognize outstanding achievements in immersive storytelling through advanced visual technologies, including virtual and augmented reality.

PresenZ’s volumetric movie format, powered by V-Nova compression, allows you to experience unprecedented immersion comfort compared to “standard” VR 360° movies. To experience it you need the free ImmersiX (download it from Steam), which is a revolutionary multi-content App designed for VR, 6DoF, ultra-realistic, cinematic experiences, such as movies, music videos, and anything properly immersive related to Entertainment.

ImmersiX, which is free, was launched as early access last December. According to the information shared then, the developer plans to enrich ImmersiX more and more, counting on the help of Steam users, to set the right direction in terms of UX/UI, content and technical performance. The first content to use with the app should be Introduction to V-Nova PresenZ, which introduces viewers to the unparalleled immersion and detail that only 6DoF can deliver. Experience the sensation of stepping inside the action, surrounded by vivid environments and lifelike visuals.

A new era of cinematic entertainment

The video, which shows aspects of all the content available also explains how Construct VR is different from “standard” VR 360° movies, as it invites users to reimagine what’s possible in visual storytelling. In fact, what sets V-Nova PresenZ apart isn’t just technical innovation but seamless integration with existing production pipelines. Studios can now output content in this format alongside traditional formats like IMAX or ScreenX, without reinventing their entire workflow.

“We are entering a new era of cinematic entertainment where audiences don’t just watch but step inside a film,” explains Guido Meardi, CEO of V-Nova. “With V-Nova PresenZ, we’ve unlocked true volumetric, high-fidelity storytelling that redefines what ‘immersive’ can be.”

For creators, ImmersiX, which you can get from the Steam platform, provides an established distribution channel to reach VR users without building proprietary platforms. Meanwhile, viewers gain access to a curated collection of immersive experiences designed specifically for volumetric viewing.

This accessibility for creators, the company says, represents a turning point for the industry. Major Hollywood studios have already showcased tier-1 franchise demos with V-Nova at trade shows, suggesting widespread adoption on the horizon. The technology allows for both forward-compatible production and retroactive enhancement—existing animations and films can be reimagined in this immersive format, extending content lifespan and reaching the growing VR audience.

“By leveraging the same production pipelines as typical CG video, studios can now cost-effectively remaster their archives or adapt current theatrical releases in 6DoF format,” adds Meardi. “With over 30 million VR households spending $7 billion annually in gaming, there’s a significant opportunity to repurpose beloved IPs and create unprecedented musical shows for a new era of storytelling.”

Works with any OpenXR compatible headsets

The PresenZ authoring tools you need to try the format are available for free. The viewer and player will show a watermark over the images. As for VR headset, the ImmersiX application can work with any OpenXR compatible headsets. Although it is Steam based, it works without the layer of Steam VR (which I prefer not to use, as it is heavy and cumbersome), as I found when I plugged in my Pico 4 VR headset, using the Virtual Desktop app: it worked right out of the box!

Experiencing the magic of ImmersiX and its 6 degrees-of-freedom immersive movies requires a lot from a computer and sometimes even a computer that meets all minimum performance specifications may struggle to play back the content smoothly, according to V-Nova, so this is something to consider if you plan on trying the software. The company is working on a streaming solution for standalone headsets, but the only way to explore the technology requires a PC, and preferably one with SSD drives to install the base app ImmersiX and the content.

Minimum recommended specifications are as follows:

• OS: Windows 10 64-bit (Home or Pro) or newer
• Processor: Intel 8-core, 2.9 GHz base clock
• Memory: 16 GB RAM
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti or newer (AMD cards do not work)
• DirectX: Version 12
• Storage: 100 GB available space on SATA III or NVME SSD
• VR Support: any OpenXR headset

If you’ve got the computer to try ImmersiX, don’t look back. This groundbreaking format transforms cinematic storytelling, allowing you to move freely within the scene and explore stories from entirely new perspectives. By eliminating motion sickness, the primary barrier to widespread VR adoption, PresenZ makes immersive entertainment accessible to audiences previously excluded from virtual experiences due to physical discomfort.

Experience the sensation of stepping inside the action and prepare to reimagine what’s possible in visual storytelling. I am eager to see what’s next from V-Nova and curious to see what the second part of Sharkarma: Guardian of the Oceans reveals. Meanwhile I will continue to explore the technology and share with PVC readers some more about this new solution for both content creators and the audiences.