• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechVirtual Reality

How Syfy is using virtual reality in real life

By
John Gaudiosi
John Gaudiosi
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
John Gaudiosi
John Gaudiosi
Down Arrow Button Icon
October 8, 2015, 5:07 PM ET
Courtesy of Syfy

Syfy debuted its The Expanse VR app at San Diego Comic Con in July and continues to expand the virtual reality offering at New York Comic Con this week.

The cast and creators of the upcoming TV series will hand out 800 Google Cardboard VR sets to attendees at the Javits Center Oct. 8 panel, which promotes the 10-episode sci-fi series that premiers Dec. 14. That’s on top of the 13,000 Cardboards that were distributed in San Diego to Comic Con attendees.

Matthew Chiavelli, senior vice president of digital at Syfy, says VR is a technology the network has been watching closely for a while, waiting for the right property to create a VR experience for.

That property is The Expanse, a show set 200 years in the future after humanity has colonized the solar system. Based on the New York Times bestselling book series by Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck, the show stars Thomas Jane and Steve Straight as a detective and rogue ship’s captain as they investigate the case of a missing young woman that has far-reaching consequences.

The VR app, which is available for iOS and Android devices, takes users on a 360-degree tour of the massive ice freighter Canterbury from the show. Recent additions to the app allow fans to do a close flyby of two massive spacecraft seen in the series: Tycho Station, the largest largest mobile space platform in the solar system, and The Nauvoo, a two-kilometer long Mormon missionary ship currently under construction.

The VR content is also available on YouTube 360. Chiavelli says Syfy is actively working to support more VR platforms like HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, and PlayStation VR in the near future.

MORE: The Walking Dead invade virtual reality

Digital Domain worked with IM360 on the VR project, which is the result of a joint venture between Syfy and NBCUniversal Media Labs. Chiavelli says VR allows the network to show off the detailed production design of The Expanse in an immersive way that lets fans point the “camera” at whatever they want to focus on.

“This is something that’s sometimes lost in conversations about VR,” Chiavelli says. “At its core, all VR is truly interactive since multiple people can choose to experience the same piece of content in their own unique way.”

Clifton Dawson, CEO of research firm Greenlight VR, believes these types of VR marketing campaigns are extremely important for introducing mainstream consumers to virtual reality.

“We know these types of marketing tactics can also be very effective with consumers,” Dawson says, referencing a recent U.S. consumer survey that was done in conjunction with Touchstone Research. “The overwhelming majority of the 2,300 consumers demonstrated enthusiasm when we asked them how they’d feel if they were given a Google Cardboard headset to for viewing a VR brand experience.”

That’s good news for Syfy and NBCUniversal.

Sign up for Data Sheet, Fortune’s daily newsletter about the business of technology.

For more Fortune coverage of virtual reality, watch this video:

About the Author
By John Gaudiosi
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

LawElon Musk
Musk misled Twitter investors before 2022 buyout, jury says
By Isaiah Poritz, Jef Feeley and BloombergMarch 20, 2026
7 hours ago
bespectacled man scratches the back of his head during congressional hearing
CryptoCryptocurrency
Kalshi locks in $22 billion valuation, gaining slight edge over its rival Polymarket
By Carlos GarciaMarch 20, 2026
10 hours ago
Big TechEntrepreneurs
Mark Cuban reads 1,000 emails a day—now he’s using a Mac Mini to fight the AI-generated flood threatening his clean inbox obsession
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezMarch 20, 2026
11 hours ago
Stressed out job seeker on laptop
Successjob hunting
Job seekers aren’t imagining things: the number of candidates ghosted by employers just reached a three-year high thanks to AI
By Emma BurleighMarch 20, 2026
15 hours ago
SuccessCareers
AI boom is fueling demand for skilled trades—and demand for technicians, HVAC workers, and electricians is soaring, with six-figure salaries to match
By Preston ForeMarch 20, 2026
15 hours ago
LawX
Three Tennessee teenagers are suing Elon Musk’s xAI for creating sexually explicit images of them
By The Associated Press and Travis LollerMarch 20, 2026
16 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.