The Art of VR opens at Sotheby's in New York

Art of VR The hallowed hallways of Sotheby's are used to the likes of Monet, Picasso and Basquiat hanging on its white plastered walls. But for the next two days, super charged computers along with HTC Vive and Oculus Rift headsets are the main attraction as part of an exhibit called The Art of VR, put on by the VR Society. Exhibitors including tech company AMD, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Discovery VR are showing their wares, while speakers including director and producer Doug Liman, will talk about how VR will fit into tomorrow's moviemaking world.

One of the main exhibit, The Virtual Reality Company, has taken over significant square footage with haptic chairs, VR headsets and even set pieces for its 10-minute short, "Raising a Rukus" the first in a planned series. The story is told in VR, letting viewers have a 360-degree view of any scene in the animated story—even handing over some of the controls on which character they follow, and what angles they see.

Too often VR is tossed out as an experience—albeit a fun one—where users are lobbed into a new environment that's both new and slightly unsettling. (Flying through the air as an eagle? Being an alien in utero from the movie franchise?) But "Raising a Rukus" is Hollywood storytelling at its best ("Guardians of the Galaxy" screenwriter Nicole Perlman and Robert Stromberg, director of "Maleficent", were both involved) while also highlighting VR as a technology letting users feel the crash landings and water rapids that the characters traverse, while being able to see all around them from a child's bedroom to a fantasy land of dinosaur skeletons.

"This is not a movie, it's not TV, it's something new," says VR Society's president Jim Chabin about narratives that weave VR into their storytelling.

As a cutting-edge technology, VR and its cousin AR, are certainly today's belles of the ball, with industries from health to sports all eager to see how to incorporate the AI into their markets. Hollywood is not any different, with this week's exhibit showcasing some of its best examples. Tickets are still available online. The exhibit runs through Friday, June 23.

IFTTT DIY Heard about IFTTT but not sure what exactly the phrase means? (No, it's not the sound a cat makes when angry.) We're got all the details on IFTTT, and how you can actually use its magical Applets in your smart home and your life. (Yes, we explain what those are too.)