Virtual reality meets big screen in Spielberg's new film

In Steven Spielberg’s new movie Ready Player One, disgruntled citizens in the year 2045 don virtual reality headsets to enter a digital universe where they can dance at hot clubs or race fancy cars through the streets of New York.

Back in the real world in 2018, VR enthusiasts hope the fast-paced action movie heading to worldwide theaters this week will spark new interest in the technology and help boost what is now a niche market.

Ready Player One, based on a novel by Ernest Cline, features a group of teenagers who spend their days in VR goggles, suits and gloves to maneuver their avatars through a computerized wonderland called the Oasis. It is filled with infinite possibilities for working, learning and socializing.

“You have a choice to spend all your time there, or make connections in the real world with real people, real eye contact,” Spielberg told Reuters in an interview. “In a way, our story is a cautionary tale as well as a great adventure.”

The movie’s hero, Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan), visits the Oasis to escape his miserable life in an Ohio trailer park. As his refuge comes under threat, Watts joins other avatars in a contest that could give them the power to protect the virtual world.