James Cameron: Virtual Reality 'Is A Yawn'

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james cameron

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

"There seems to be a lot of excitement around something that, to me, is a yawn, frankly."

A lot of people are really excited about the potential of virtual reality.

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Facebook bought virtual reality startup, Oculus Rift VR, for $2 billion at the end of March. Google has it's own cardboard(!) virtual headset. You can build your own for a cool $25.

If you haven't tried out either, they're extremely immersive experiences which put you right in the middle of a game or location.

However, James Cameron isn't convinced it's the next big thing.

Speaking at a Wall Street Journal conference panel, the director who is responsible for the two highest-grossing movies of all time - "Titanic" and "Avatar" - and who is known for pushing the limits of technology on screen said he's not impressed with virtual the tech.

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We first noticed the director's comments on Cinemablend via The Hollywood Reporter.

"There seems to be a lot of excitement around something that, to me, is a yawn, frankly," Cameron said at the conference. "The question that always occurred to me is, when is it going to be mature, when is it going to be accepted by the public at large, when are people going to start authoring in VR and what will that be?"

Cameron critiqued the technology for being limited to standing.

Oculus rift crystal cove

Jim Edwards

The Oculus Rift.


"What will the level of interactivity with the user be other than just 'I can stand and look around,'" he added. "If you want to move through a virtual reality it's called a video game, it's been around forever."

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That's not the sort of thing Mark Zuckerberg wants to hear, but don't worry Zuck, Cameron says the Oculus isn't that bad.

"Oculus Rift is fine, it's got a good display and that sort of thing," said Cameron.

Cameron is working on three "Avatar" sequels which are expected to be released in theaters 2016, 2017, and 2018.