Netflix captured headlines yesterday when it took home an impressive 18 Emmy nominations. Amazon and Hulu also earned three nods apiece but the streaming providers weren't the only tech-based outfits recognized by the Television Academy on Thursday.
Three virtual reality experiences were nominated for an Emmy in the category of Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media Within a Scripted Program. USA picked up a nod for the Mr. Robot Virtual Reality experience, Google secured a nomination for The Simpsons - Planet of the Couches short and Netflix received a nomination for its Stranger Things VR experience.
Dear Angelica from Oculus Story Studios, Mission: ISS from Oculus and The People's House - Inside the White House with Barack and Michelle Obama from Felix & Paul Studios, meanwhile, all received nods in the Outstanding Original Interactive Program category.
It's been a bit of a roller coaster week for virtual reality. On Monday, Facebook slashed the price of its Oculus Rift VR headset and Touch motion controller bundle as part of what it called its Summer of Rift event.
The move could have signaled a couple of different things. Perhaps Oculus' VR platform wasn't selling very well or maybe the company was simply looking to move existing inventory to make room for a new model on the horizon?
Later in the week, we heard that Oculus was prepping a pair of new wireless headsets. The more interesting of the two - codenamed Santa Cruz - will reportedly provide tracking using onboard cameras and be as powerful as today's Rift but without the PC.
Today, we learned that after the six-week, $399 bundle sale, Facebook will be permanently dropping the cost of the Rift down to $499.