Netflix Creates a Virtual Reality Video Store

Netflix’s designers and engineers have gotten together once again for the company’s ‘Hack Day,’ a bi-annual event which gives its product development staff a chance to experiment with new ideas and technologies. The company’s 200+ employees managed to churn out more than 80 hacks ranging from user experience upgrades to internal improvements in the company’s recruiting process. Arguably the highlight of the event was the introduction of Netflix Zone, a virtual reality video store created for the HTC Vive, which recreates the nostalgic feeling of heading down to Blockbuster (well, almost) to rent a movie. To play a movie all users need to do is pick a VHS from the shelf and throw it at the wall. This feature is somewhat impractical but nevertheless a fun option to have. Additional Hack Day projects of note include a new drag-and-drop homepage interface which allows users to pin categories along the top, a “Family Catch-Up” feature and a “QuietCast” feature. For a full rundown of all of the new Hack Day features, head over to The Netflix Tech Blog.