Easter Scripture Comes Alive with Virtual Reality in the YouVersion Bible App

With The Octagon Project, The Bible App offers the first ever virtual reality devotional, accessible across all platforms.

OKLAHOMA CITY, April 11, 2017 – In partnership with The Octagon Project, and just in time for Easter, the YouVersion Bible App is launching the first-ever devotional that uses virtual reality videos to help people connect with the Bible. The plan is viewable across all platforms, including iOS, Android, and computers. Unlike traditional videos, these 360-degree videos allow users to control the camera’s vantage point and look around in a full sphere, even without a virtual reality headset.

Through the four-day Bible plan titled The Easter Story in Virtual Reality, the YouVersion community can tour the sites of Jesus’ last days on earth, read Scripture about Jesus’ death and resurrection, and read devotional content in preparation for Easter Sunday.

“Thanks to this partnership with The Octagon Project, the YouVersion community can experience the same steps Jesus took in Jerusalem,” said Bobby Gruenewald, Life.Church Innovation Pastor and Founder of the YouVersion Bible App. “We’re thrilled to leverage technology like virtual reality to help people become more immersed in Scripture.”

The Octagon Project has been optimized for use with nearly every device that can connect to the internet, including smartphones, tablets, and virtual reality headsets, including the Oculus Rift. Without a virtual reality headset, viewing the video while listening with headphones is recommended for the most immersive experience to clearly hear the narration, music, and live audio from every location.

“The YouVersion community can now participate in an exciting, immersive experience with the Gospels, which is designed to mimic one of our live Octagon Tours to the Holy Land,” said Dr. Gary Crossland, founder of The Octagon Project. “With this reading plan, believers from all over the world now have the ability to visit Israel in three ways – physically, spiritually, and virtually.”

YouVersion plans to work with The Octagon Project to include more virtual reality content in the future. The Octagon Project team has captured and produced countless hours of 360-degree video in over 200 locations, which is about the equivalent of a 30-day, expertly guided tour to the Holy Land.

 

About Octagon Project

The Octagon Project is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization based in San Antonio, Texas. Through the convergence of history, biblical geography and this new immersive video technology, The Octagon Project was born in 2012. Today, it has grown into a team of highly skilled videographers and motion-graphics technicians, specifically trained in the field of 360-degree full-spherical, ultra-high-definition video production. For more information, visit www.octagonproject.com.

 

About YouVersion     

YouVersion was created in 2007 to help increase access to and engagement with the Bible. Featuring nearly 1,500 versions and supporting more than 1,000 languages, the Bible App helps people with busy, on-the-go lifestyles read the Bible at any time and in any place. The Bible App has been installed on more than 265 million devices and in every country of the world. To learn more or to download the Bible App, visit www.bible.com/app.

 

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MEDIA CONTACT:

Rachel Feuerborn

918-282-4303

rachel.feuerborn@life.church

 

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