Three VR Museum Apps Reviewed: Dali, Google Earth, Masterworks
Simona Caraceni reviews three free virtual reality apps for Oculus and Gear VR. The Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida, released "Dreams of Dali," one of the first museum-linked apps on the Oculus store, inspired by the painting "Archaeological Reminiscence of Millet's Angelus." Interaction relies solely on eye gaze, with fragments of Dalí's voice and embedded artworks. Google Earth VR offers vast Street View and user-generated Photo Sphere content, though occasional glitches occur. Masterworks VR allows climbing UNESCO World Heritage monuments with audio descriptions but lacks supplementary content, potentially driving users to visit real sites. The article originally appeared in Artribune Magazine #43.
Key facts
- Dreams of Dali is one of the first museum-linked apps on the Oculus store.
- The app is inspired by Dalí's painting Archaeological Reminiscence of Millet's Angelus.
- Interaction in Dreams of Dali is controlled solely by eye gaze.
- The app includes fragments of Salvador Dalí's voice.
- Google Earth VR uses Street View and user-uploaded Photo Spheres.
- Google Earth VR may have glitches and reversed perspectives.
- Masterworks VR lets users climb UNESCO World Heritage monuments.
- Masterworks VR includes audio descriptions but limited additional content.
Entities
Artists
- Salvador Dalí
Institutions
- Dalí Museum
- Oculus
- UNESCO
- Artribune
Locations
- San Pietroburgo
- Florida
- United States