The Simpsons teamed with Google to produce the virtual reality experience for their 600th episode Treehouse of Horror XXVII.

Fox Broadcasting Company (FOX) and THE SIMPSONS worked closely with the Google Spotlight Stories team to create a special Virtual Reality (VR) experience for THE SIMPSONS couch gag, “Planet of the Couches,” airing in the milestone 600th episode of the animated series, the all-new “Treehouse of Horror XXVII,” on Sunday, October 16, on FOX.

“At first we had concerns about working with Google because we didn't know who they were, but then we googled the company and were very impressed,” said Homer Simpson.

“It’s a thrill to be associated with Google and not only because they have perfected the quality of their cafeteria food, especially those little sausages,” said James L. Brooks.

“Spotlight Stories is all about pushing the boundaries of interactive, mobile storytelling. Having a chance to build an immersive story with one of the most iconic and beloved shows of our time was an honor and thrilling challenge,” said Jan Pinkava, Creative Director, Google Spotlight Stories.

“We are thrilled to collaborate with THE SIMPSONS and Google Spotlight Stories on this milestone virtual reality experience. This is another example of how FOX is able to leverage innovation to deepen fan engagement and strive to bring interesting opportunities to our production partners,” said Angela Courtin, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, FOX.

Produced with Google Spotlight Stories, “Planet of the Couches” will be available on October 16 through the Google Spotlight Stories app on Android and iOS. View it with any Google Cardboard viewer for the full VR experience. The couch gag will kick off the milestone 600th episode, and will be available as a VR experience via the app.

There will be 25,000 limited edition Google Cardboard viewers available for order on a first-come, first-served basis, featuring one of the five main characters from THE SIMPSONS – Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie – with a customized 600th episode “Treehouse of Horror XXVII” slipcover, beginning today at simpsonscardboard.com in the U.S. only.

“Planet of the Couches” takes the viewer on a completely immersive VR experience. In this VR “couch gag,” the world of THE SIMPSONS is extended 360 degrees, an augmentation of THE SIMPSONS’ 600th episode, unprecedented in television history. The audience is able to enter and explore the universe of THE SIMPSONS with multiple viewings yielding different results. Truly a groundbreaking event.

“Planet of the Couches” in VR was developed by Google Spotlight Stories in conjunction with executive producers James L. Brooks, Matt Groening, Al Jean, Matt Selman and director David Silverman.

Oculus, Sony, HTC, and Microsoft can all go to hell because Google just changed the game up. Introducing Google Cardboard Plastic!

#GAMECHANGER #THUGLIFE Upstart Startup Google just changed the game up son! The first ever 100% fully immersive experience. CatsAndVR.com got some hands on experience and not since the advent of credit card debt has a piece of plastic felt this real. But hey we are pay to play bloggers so check out what VR evangelist Lil Wayne had to say after getting some hands on time with Google Cardboard Plastic. 

Sources at VrAndCats.com  have told us Lil Wayne is trying hard to get out of his deal with Samsung and is actually said to be trying his hardest to be in commercials for Google Cardboard Plastic now that Google has a product that can withstand the harsh conditions of Champaign. Lil Wayne had previously been enamored by the anti-champagne tech Samsung had developed.

Even though Google respects Mr. Wayne, sources at VrAndCats.com say that Google is looking to upstart rapper Drake as a potential celebrity endorser. Drake's recent song about a cell phone has gotten the educated Canadian mad respect in the undergrown hip hop community. One may remember Drake due to his struggle being real and thus being the inspiration to the global television hit Wheels Ontario. 

When asked about the potential release date of the new product Google responded with "Who the hell is CatsAndVR.com and who let them into the building"

Cats And VR 

Google Introduces VR View to allow you to embed immersive content into your apps and websites!

Move around using a mouse on a desktop or using your phone. 

SO EASY EVEN A CAT CAN EMBED A VR VIDEO! Also it is super mobile friendly. I tested on an old iPhone 4s and it views and loads great! This will allow for some really good Cardboard acceptance from the blogging community. 

Excerpt from Google Developers Blog

VR views take 360 VR images or videos and transform them into interactive experiences that users can view on their phone, with a Cardboard viewer, or on their desktop computer. For native apps, you can embed a VR view by grabbing the latest Cardboard SDK for Android or iOS* and adding a few lines of code. On the web, embedding a VR view is as simple as adding an iframe on your site. We’re open-sourcing the HTML and JavaScript for web developers on github, so you can self-host and modify it to match your needs.

From travel and real estate to news and entertainment, we hope embeddable VR views make it quick and easy to share your story and build immersive and engaging visual experiences your users will love. We're excited to see what you create.

*Yes, you read that right! Starting today, there’ll be a native Cardboard SDK for iOS. Provided in idiomatic Objective C, and packaged as a single, easy-to-use CocoaPod, this new SDK includes all of the features already available in the Cardboard SDK for Android.

Read More of this fantastic post by Google Product Manager-Nathan Martz

Cats and VR