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David Attenborough explaining rocks in VR will be incredibly calming

David Attenborough explaining rocks in VR will be incredibly calming

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A VR experience starring Attenborough is being made with London’s Natural History Museum

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David Attenborough wearing an Oculus Rift VR headset.
David Attenborough wearing an Oculus Rift VR headset.
Image: Sky

Famed British naturalist David Attenborough is going to become a virtual reality “hologram” with the help of UK broadcaster Sky and London’s Natural History Museum. Attenborough will appear in a VR experience titled Hold the World, which will let viewers navigate the museum’s collection, picking up and examining rare items. When they do, Attenborough will appear to offer insights about different objects, explaining their significance to the viewer. These artifacts will include fossils, bones, and skulls.

“I have enjoyed helping people to discover more about the natural world, and Hold The World offers people a unique opportunity: to examine rare objects, some millions of years old, up close,” said Attenborough in a press statement. “It represents an extraordinary new step in how people can explore and experience nature, all from the comfort of their own homes.”

According to Ars Technica, Hold the World will only be accessible on Google Cardboard, Samsung Gear VR, and the Oculus Rift. (It won’t be available on the HTC Vive for some reason.) It’s one of 12 virtual reality experiences Sky is creating with its Sky VR Studio, and will go into production “later this year.” An exact launch date for the experience isn’t yet known, but anyone keen to see Attenborough in VR already has a few options — he’s appeared in a number of experiences including Google’s VR Expeditions and PlayStation VR’s First Life.