5 Virtual Reality trends you need to know.
Virtual Reality (VR) has been “the next big thing” in tech for the past few years. A phrase on the tip of everyone’s tongue in the worlds of marketing and entertainment, and for good reason. There is something so seductive about VR. The thought of immersing yourself into an interactive world, free to explore without the boundaries of everyday life.
To feed this seduction, entertainment and tech giants are investing boatloads of money into VR platforms. They are betting consumers will fall in love with a new way to experience sports, news, and entertainment.
How we got here.
Until recently, VR has been a niche product. It’s survived on the fringe of the major entertainment categories like movies and video games. But since the beginning of 2017 there have been many promising breakthroughs in VR, signaling the Virtual Reality gold rush is already upon us.
As VR booms, content creators are experiencing the uncertainty of a new medium of storytelling. A medium with some significant challenges — like awkward headsets that make people nauseous.
Yes, VR Sickness is a real thing…
But like all things, the technology will get better. Headsets will be reimagined or go away entirely as new solutions are created. But outside of technology nerds and historians the actually technology doesn’t matter. The content is what will draw people in or lead them to abandon the market all together.
Without compelling content, VR is worthless.
The VR leaders of tomorrow will create seamless, immersive and addictive content. Soon there will be a clear line drawn in the sand. What we call “VR” today will look (and feel) completely different.
Here are some VR trends beginning to emerge. Each category will experience a fundamental shift for consumers. Talented and forward-thinking content creators have an opportunity to (literally) reshape our digital lives.
Gaming
Gaming is an obvious fit for VR. For decades gamers have played by sitting in front of a monitor or TV watching the gameplay unfold. With VR, gamers will not just watch, they will go inside the games and become part of the story.
For now, the issue with VR gaming going mainstream is twofold. It’s a chicken or egg scenario where players want amazing content before forking over big bucks for VR gaming systems. On the other hand, to experience VR gaming in its true form, you need to gear up and that costs money.
A lot of money in fact…
An HTC VIVE — Virtual Reality System will cost $800 and that doesn’t even include a Haptic VR Suit so you can feel the game as well. These suckers are going for $500 on Kickstarter. Oh, and you’re going to want to dedicate an entire room in your house to VR. This will give you the space to move around while you wear your awkward headset.
Here’s an entire article on how to setup your VR room. If you have an extra few thousand dollars to burn you can have your own VR room for gaming, too!
The equipment will get better and cheaper. As long as there’s quality content, there should be some exciting gameplay headed our way in the next few years.
Social Networking
AltspaceVR recently released their VR social network where one can interact and share experiences with people all over the world. From playing games to chilling at a BBQ, AltspaceVR has the potential to revolutionize social networking as we know it.
Even Facebook has a VR app called Facebook Spaces which utilizes the Oculus VR goggles (also owned by Facebook). Facebook claims Spaces is, “a magical canvas for shared experiences.”
When you and your closest friends or family are miles apart, you can throw on some headgear and hang out as animated versions of yourself in a virtual world. You can travel to real cities like Paris, or hangout in your living room and chill.
For those who don’t have an Oculus headset lying around you can still use the app without it. Without the goggles you will see a VR version of yourself hanging out with your friend on your screen.
The app also uses your Facebook profile so it already knows your friends and connections. You can even build a custom avatar to look like your Facebook profile pic.
Concerts & Events
NextVR has patented technology to create the only platform that “can deliver live events in virtual reality with the energy and the passion of a truly immersive experience.”
FOX Sports, Live Nation, NBC Sports, HBO, Turner Sports, and CNN have all partnered with NextVR to create a wide range of programs. With NextVR you can experience the NBA Finals in VR or sit in the front row at your favorite band’s concert.
Movies
The chance to be a character in a movie and see events unfold from your own perspective is very exciting. But until someone figures out how to weave and edit an immersive cinematic experience into VR, we might be stuck with IMAX and 3D for a while.
The potential for VR in cinema is HUGE. The chance to be a character in a movie and see events unfold from your own perspective is very exciting. Imagine being a superhero flying through the sky or the thrill of being the villain and robbing a bank.
But so far no one has figured out how to use VR to enhance cinematic storytelling. Movies are a medium of storytelling where the audience observes the story as it unfolds. The editing gives us clues when we need them. The strength of VR is that users have choices, it’s active story-making.
So far no one in VR has the slightest idea of how to do this. The entire cinematic paradigm will have to shift and some type of new storytelling will need to exist that draws from both movies and VR to create new possibilities.
Keep an eye on this space, but for now sit back and enjoy your popcorn. VR for movies has a ways to go.
Shopping
Shopping online is replacing going to a mall to buy things. The variety, fast (often free) shipping, and convenience make online shopping a clear winner. The drawback of online shopping is not being able to interact with items before you buy.
VR shopping will give consumers the best of both worlds by creating interactive shopping experiences where users can pick out items, try them on virtually, and then make choices about what to buy and what to remove from their cart.
VR shopping is a win for retailers as well. Since consumers can try their items on using an avatar of their likeness, there is less potential for returned merchandise which can lower shipping costs.
Companies like Amazon and Ikea are already working on VR shopping experiences and you can expect more brands to jump on the bandwagon if consumers catch on.
Conclusion
As VR technology improves our daily lives will change drastically. Movies and games will be more interactive, shopping will be less of a hassle, and social media will be more personal. The possibilities are endless and creative content makers will lead the VR revolution from science fiction to everyday life.
