Just what you never wanted: CNN will let viewers watch the Democratic debate in virtual reality

(Image credit: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

published 25 September 2015

Have you ever thought to yourself in the middle of a presidential debate, "Wow, this would be so much better if I were watching it in 3D on a phone two inches from my eyes"? Now you can do exactly that!

Perpetual lover of unnecessary technology CNN has announced that the Democratic primary debate scheduled for Oct. 13 will be live-streamed in virtual reality (VR). All you'll need is a Samsung phone and $99 virtual reality headset to — in theory, at least — feel like you're in the front row, able to direct your attention to the audience, moderators, and candidates at will.

CNN tested its VR project at the recent GOP debate. Viewing a clip from that event in VR, Jason Abbruzzese at Mashable found that the experience is immersive, but the video quality is still low enough that the candidates' faces were "pretty indistinguishable."