VR technology being used to explore Arctic snowscapes

A tech company based in Iqaluit, Nunavut has released new VR software that lets the viewer explore “the great white north during a perpetual snowstorm.” The software, which took a team of 65  over 2 years to develop, promises the user an “exhilarating trek through the Arctic snow, with pelting snow driving down in all directions and 2 inches of visibility”, said a promotional release by developer Microsnow Tech. The product is slated to be released exclusively through the Amazon marketplace on April 1, retailing at $24.99 per license.

Microsnow spokesperson Ralph Rider told reporters that “we took an old TV and turned it to a static channel and videoed the screen round the clock for a year and a half, and then picked the best static screens we could find out of all that footage to create the blizzard effects. We spared no expense.”

“We also picked up the whitest grade of copy paper we could from Staples to mimic the background snow”, he added. “Joe the janitor accidentally spilled a bit of coffee on it one morning, but thankfully we had JUST enough whiteout paste to blotch it out. Phew!”

Stock in Microsnow has shot up 20% since the announcement, except in Quebec where the VR visual experience is being called “just another f***in Quebec spring day.”