Remington Orange, producer at the XRcast Studio, is spearheading a new series called VAR Travels, with co-hosts Marcus Jacobs and Lauren Cass. 

VAR Travels is a mixed reality podcast that uses the Google Earth VR program to take the audience on a global journey. The program is unique in that it provides comprehensive visual data for almost every point on Earth, making it an excellent tool for exploring interdisciplinary topics and relevant locations. 

In some episodes, two co-hosts will guide the audience on a virtual adventure. In other episodes, guests such as visiting speakers, campus faculty and staff with interesting research backgrounds, or standout students, will join the show to share their experiences. 

The best part is that guests won’t need to use a VR headset. Instead, one of the co-hosts will wear the headset, and the guest will be able to share the experience via screen cast on a nearby TV. 

In this format, guests will guide the audience on virtual tours of their hometowns and other relevant locations, enabling organic comments and observations that would be harder to uncover in a traditional podcast format. 

Test shoots for the series started in the XRcast Studio in Fall 2022, and production of official episodes can now begin in Spring 2023. To view the latest episodes of VAR Travels, check out this playlist (insert link). 

The XRcast Studio produces this series. For more information about the space, visit https://var.psu.edu/xr-cast/