We’ve been quietly working on several Bigscreen updates this year, and two new features launched last week: Events and Movies!

The newly designed Events menu in Bigscreen shows a list of events, live countdown timers, and displays the number of people interested in the event. Watch movies, rocket launches, sports events, and live streams with friends and people from all over the world. These events are live, one-time only, and you’ll be able to enjoy them with friends in a private room or with new people you’ll meet in public rooms!

Some events are free, such as rocket launches by NASA and SpaceX. Movie events in partnership with major movie studios, like Paramount Pictures, require paid tickets. Prices start at $3.99 and vary by country. Movie tickets are valid for one showtime and one event only (you have to join the event on time)! Event Tickets cannot be used for Movie Rentals.

Check out our first lineup of events at https://bigscreenvr.com/events. We hosted our first event, a “Ghost in the Shell” viewing in 3D (the most popular 3D movie on Bigscreen!), with the Bigscreen Devs last Friday. Our theater rooms were packed to the brim and everyone was watching the movie with people from various parts of the world!

The new Movies menu lets you rent and watch 2D & 3D movies on-demand:

You will have up to 48 hours to finish the movie after starting it. Movies are available in up to 10 countries and prices start from $3.99. Pricing and country availability varies by movie. Browse the list of movies: https://bigscreenvr.com/movies/catalog

We made these two changes because of a bunch of Reddit feedback: thousands of people have attended our 3D movie screenings and told us how they wanted more convenience, more movies each week, but also more social events a couple times each week.

Over the past 2 months, due to the COVID-19 crisis, we’ve seen a big spike in Bigscreen usage (hitting our Christmas peak levels). As movie theaters shut down, people have turned to Bigscreen to: 

Next up is a Videoplayer for PC & Mobile VR headsets. Watch your own videos in your own private movie theater (or any Bigscreen environment). The Videoplayer (v1) won’t be social at launch, but we’re also working on a premium social videoplayer that lets you watch videos, YouTube, Netflix, etc. with friends. Look for a v2 with social features later this year. The Videoplayer is expected to launch in 2 weeks.

We’re also working on productivity/collaboration features that let you browse files together (3D models, spreadsheets, PDFs, photos, videos, etc.), and new environments such as a conference room and classroom.

Additionally, we’re working on enabling Mobile (ex. Oculus Quest) users to host massive rooms, with higher streaming quality, permanent rooms, a friends system, and also PSVR support.

Stay tuned for a ton of new features in 2020, and let us know what you’re most excited about!

Bigscreen supports all major PC VR headsets and mobile/standalone VR headsets. You can download Bigscreen Beta for free from the Oculus Store (PC, Mobile, Quest) or Steam.

Stay in touch with Bigscreen by following us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Reddit. If you have issues, bugs, feedback, or want to chat with the devs, join our 11,000-person Bigscreen Community Discord!