Why You Should Care About Virtual Reality
The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), has wrapped up in LA and Dave Goodfellow from PR agency Rinsed was lucky enough to attend. At the event, Goodfellow got a peek into the future of content design, consumer behaviour and interactive marketing.
If you haven’t heard of E3 before, it’s one of the oldest and most anticipated video game conferences in the world. It takes place each year at the Los Angeles Convention Centre and this year, over 52,000 video game professionals, analysts, journalists and enthusiasts attended, from over 109 countries – which broke all previous attendance records.
All the major players in the video game industry exhibited, and what emerged was an outlook on content and marketing that promises to usher in the next wave of innovation and creative marketing.
So where are things going? All signs point to the next wave of games, content and marketing being driven through Virtual and Augmented Reality.
You’ve probably heard of Virtual Reality (VR) and/or Augmented Reality (AR) by now. What may surprise you though is that these technologies have been around for decades.
As early as the 1980s, academics and enthusiasts walked around wearing full desktop computers crammed into makeshift backpacks and head mounted displays to display VR and AR content.
The reason I mention this history is purely to demonstrate that we’ve come a long way and what’s now on the horizon is significant because a lot has had to happen to make this a reality.
A big barrier to the technology’s development seems to have been the consumer viability of virtual and augmented platforms. Like 4K content, and every other major medium shift, the adoption and implementation is heavily contingent on the hardware availability, performance, and cost.
Desktops in backpacks aren’t great consumer products, and it has taken this long for the right technology to be created, miniaturised and manufactured at a cost that consumers can appreciate – though it’s worth noting final pricing has not been announced for most hardware yet, but it probably won’t be anywhere near comparable to a $25 Google Cardboard VR headset.
The business case for VR and AR could also not have been justified until their appeal expanded beyond academic and enthusiast circles. This expansion has also become a recent reality thanks to the backing by Facebook, Microsoft, Valve and Sony.
Yet, despite the technology and business case for VR and AR tech becoming increasingly legitimised, the approaches of Oculus, Microsoft and Sony that were announced and showcased at E3 each have a very different spin on the way they’re aiming to capture the market.
Oculus has first mover advantage and has built a development community of almost 200,000 people. This gives Oculus an incredibly strong launch platform and innovation pipeline.
Oculus’ key success strategy seems to be cultivating its developer community and they’ve demonstrated this by committing to invest US$10 Million into independent game development for the Oculus Rift. To simultaneously expand the consumer interest from people who will play these games, they’ve also partnered with Microsoft – which is a major blow for Playstation.
Sony’s focus for VR is squarely on Playstation 4 and its community – which is huge too. The difference in approach seems to be that, Sony views VR content and its own headset “Project Morpheus” as a peripheral rather than a standalone platform.
At Sony’s E3 keynote, Andrew House, president and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, said “[Project] Morpheus, like all features of the [Sony’s] Entertainment platform, is a choice and adds value and life to the hardware.” Which demonstrates the peripheral vs platform mentality.
Limiting usage to a single platform may seem like a risky move, but that’s really what console manufacturers have been doing for years. Think Playstation VS Xbox, PC vs Mac etc. Having exclusive content can drive loyalty and differentiation. And,
Sony’s VR experience is very good too. I had the chance to play with it at E3 and it was tons of fun. It felt very real and if the quality of content will give Microsoft and Oculus some very serious competition.
Microsoft has arguably the broadest and most diverse approach of the big players. I’ve been discussing VR and AR until now, but Microsoft is the only company to be seriously tackling them both. Here’s why:
In addition to its partnership with Oculus, Microsoft has also announced a partnership with Valve VR which will make Windows and Xbox the platforms of choice for VR. This doesn’t seem to be a grab at content either. It appears to be a move that is aiming to standardise APIs and other development standards for virtual reality – something that is sorely needed for developers, given the increasing number of options available to them in the VR industry now.
The impact that standardisation delivered by Microsoft could have is huge. Essentially it has the power to make VR content easier to produce, distribute and consume while also making Windows the platform of choice for VR, which will make it easier for marketers and creators to utilise the technology.
By adding VR to its list of features for Xbox One and Windows 10, Microsoft is adding value to its community in the same way that Sony is trying to with Morpheus. But! At the same time, Microsoft has also gone off on its own AR tangent into Holographic Computing with Microsoft HoloLens.
The important distinction between AR and VR is that virtual reality is an entirely digital experience; where as augmented reality blends the physical AND digital worlds together.
Microsoft gave a demonstration HoloLens’ during its E3 press conference that showed someone playing an interactive version of Minecraft in real 3D space on a tabletop. This demonstration was a jaw dropping moment, and left gamers salivating. But if the gateway to VR and AR experiences is through specially designed headsets then do we as consumers really need or want two different types of headsets?
If VR and AR are truly the future, then marketers need to seriously think about new content and how a VR experience or an AR experience can enhance our brands/clients and also how the audience, appetite and experience of VR and AR differs – something that we’ll only find out as it continues to develop, but likely sooner rather than later.
Latest News
The Mars Agency Announces Latest Findings Of Retail Media Report Card
The Mars Agency has developed a scorecard that assesses the capabilities of leading platforms across key criteria required to optimally plan, execute, and measure effective retail media programs. The scorecard aims To help brands efficiently evaluate their spending options across retail media networks in Australia (and New Zealand). With spending on retail media advertising in […]
‘It’s The Lesser Of Two Evils’ – NRL Eyes US Betting Market As Aussie Regulators Circle
US betting firms will be delighted by the circa 50,000 Americans who could soon watch the NRL on their favourite app.
A-League In Deep Discussions With New Partner To Keep Games On TV After Production Company Enters Administration
The A-League's insatiable appetite for scoring own goals continues.
TV Ratings (27/03/2024): Jungle Members At War Over Concealed Lipstick
A heated argument between two jungle members did the numbers for Ten last night, with I’m A Celeb obtaining a total national reach of 1,282,000. Fans were delighted as Candice Warner and influencer Skye Wheatley got into it over a stick of lipstick, leading Warner to dub the Instagram star “selfish.” Wheatley, best known for […]
Is The Australian Music Industry In Trouble? Inquiry Launched Following Splendour Cancellation
Earlier this week, an inquiry was launched into the challenges and opportunities currently facing the Australian live music industry in the wake of multiple festival cancellations. On 25 March 2024, the Minister for the Arts, the Hon. Tony Burke MP, asked the Committee on Communications and the Arts to inquire into and report on the […]
Liana Dubois, Leandro Perez, Aimee Buchanan & More Gather For Inaugural Compadres Leadership Event
Didn't get the invite? Perhaps you're not as important as you thought.
Cathay Captures The Unforgettable Thrill Of Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Rugby Sevens, Via Publicis
Nobody does rugby like Hong Kong, apparently. Certainly nobody does it as badly as Australia.
Cocogun Nabs Christine Watts, Kirsty Reynolds & Shev Tan Bolstering Management & Creative Teams
Cocogun bolsters its team with new hires. Committed to purchasing a bigger sofa, too.
The Media Store’s Jacquie Alley & Sam Cousins Take The Plunge With Pro-Bono Work For Cure Cancer
B&T chats with The Media Store bosses about their great pro-bono work and sponsored swim.
Hawke’s Brewing Co. Taps Rocket Comms For PR Agency Following Competitive Pitch
We're expecting Rocket Comms productivity to crash in spectacular fashion following this win.
Spotlight On Sponsors: Patties Serves Up A Taste Of Home For Olympians & South Sydney Rabbitohs Recommit To Gambling Reform
While the Rabbitohs commits to gambling reform, B&T reckons the team should commit to a decent auto sponsor.
Google: “Inevitable” That Bad Actors Will Abuse Ads Platform As Advertiser Account Suspensions Double
Google maintains it's simply impossible for it to entirely stop bad people placing & paying for ads using its service.
Quantcast Expands APAC Sales Team With Appointment Of News Corp Account Manager
No pressure at all when you are appointed as a client success manager.
Publicis Sapient Tests Microsoft-Powered Gen AI Search Tool With Homes & Villas By Marriott Bonvoy
Given Gen AI's record for mangling stuff, B&T cannot see the problem with letting it decide your next holiday digs.
Volkswagen & DDB Group’s “Roo Badge” To Reduce Kangaroo Related Road Collisions
Watch out for RooBadge as Cannes Lions' most debated campaign this year.
Twilio Launches Unified Profiles & Agent Copilot Features To Boost Productivity & Engagement
Agent Copilot sounds like James Bond's less interesting cousin.
Reebok & Honda Among New Clients For onetwo agency
OneTwo finally lives up to its name with this double billing.
Ogilvy Report: Throw Out The Social Strategy Rule Book, The Rules Of The Past No Longer Apply
B&T was puzzled that all 'influencers' aren't, effectively, 'virtual', but here we are.
WhiteGREY & AKQA Merge In Australia, Lee Simpson Departs
Fortunately, the combined agencies aren't opting for a trite portmanteau for the new name.
Splendour In The Grass 2024 Music Festival Cancelled!
Music fans all over the country reportedly relieved they can pack away their rain coats and gumboots for another year.
TV Ratings (26/03/2024): “Fairy Bread, F***ing Disgusting”: Gordon Ramsay Slams Aussie Food In Food Stars Launch
Ramsay not one for mincing his words, even when it comes to minced meat pies.
Paramount+ International Boss Doubles Down On Aussie Content, Says Ad-Tier will Grow Audiences And Revenue
Good news as Paramount will not be binning I’m A Celebrity for re-runs of Frasier.
Brent Smart: Telstra Pushing For 50-50 Brand-Performance Split But Warns Numbers ‘Won’t Look Great’ Initially
The old brand vs performance debate continues. But here, Brent is firmly sitting on the fence.
Crowded House, Tones And I & Dom Dolla Win Big At The Shure Rolling Stone Music Awards
B&T staffer reports back with humdinger of a hangover & feeling seriously uncool after mixing with music types.
Opinion: Dyslexia “A Hidden Gem” For Brands & Agencies
Dyslexics offer underappreciated benefits in the corporate field, according to this op-ed.
David Jones Taps Criteo To Power Online Retail Media Arm
Want to see ads for things you probably can't afford? David Jones has got you covered with new retail media play.
oOh!media Sets Up Team To Target Business Audiences Across Airports & Offices
oOh! wants brands to harass you every minute of your next business trip.
QMS Launches Australian First DOOH & TV Partnership With Samba TV
Samba TV, of course, is not a channel dedicated to dancing. Much to our dismany.
Slew Of New Hires At Amplify
Four new faces join the Amplify offices. Team say desk scarcity becoming "acute".
Adobe Announces Content Authenticity Initiative Expansions To Counter Deep Fakes
Try as they might to enlighten them, we suspect Trump supporters will continue to watch and believe Fox News.
The PR Group Appoints TechCrunch Senior Reporter Catherine Shu As Director Of Content & Media
Catherine Shu makes the bold leap from journalism to PR. Says inevitable pay bump was "unrelated".
HERO Nabs Ebony Santin From AMPR
Rumours Santin cleared out the stationery cupboard before departing are as yet unconfirmed.
Karena Noble Checks Out Of EVT Hotels & Resorts To Launch Comms Consultancy
Noble still managed to squeezed in a continental breakfast before departing.
Canva Acquires Design Platform Affinity To Bring Professional Design Tools To Every Organisation
Canva & Adobe face off continues. We're not picking sides but keenly aware that Canva's office is next door to ours.
“Lean On Our Team To Help You Find An Audience”: Why Understanding Audience Engagement Is Essential In Journalism
Engaging the audience is critical to journos, apparently. We'd thought self-loathing & alcoholism were key.
Adobe Summit: Major Gen AI Developments, Data Concessions & Partnerships
What happens in Vegas stays there. Unless it's the Adobe Summit and then you get to read about in B&T.