Note: Our virtual reality for business feature has been fully updated. This article was first published in November 2014.
With orders for the first batch of Oculus Rift
headsets currently being processed, VR has finally moved out of the
development phase to become a real and tangible technology that anyone
can now get their hands on. For businesses this could mean a whole new
channel to experiment with. From education to shopping, VR is exciting
businesses with the possibilities.
Not since the golden age of VR
in the 1980s has the technology generated so much anticipation amongst
consumers and businesses alike. The early vision in the 1950s from VR
pioneers Douglas Engelbart and later Ivan Sutherland, then Jaron Lanier
has now become a reality.
Outside of the gaming sector
where VR will show what it is capable of to a waiting public, VR as a
business tool has also been rapidly developing. Since the early
developer units were available from Oculus, many enterprises have been
experimenting with these new virtual spaces. Jaguar
created what it called its 'Actual Reality' VR experience with a custom
headset and a hydraulic platform with six-degrees of movement to create
a fully immersive experience for its new F-Type car.
Shopping has
also experimented with virtual stores that you can move through albeit
on a two-dimensional screen. Cheap access to a VR-like environment
thanks to Google Cardboard makes for the perfect platform to offer a more interactive and tactile virtual shopping experience, as Trillenium is developing right now. We could all be experiencing what has been dubbed 'V-commerce' pretty soon.
Virtual reality is set to make a big impact this year
To
gain an insight into how VR will influence the products and services
businesses will develop using the technology, Techradar Pro spoke with a
number of leading enterprises actively developing for the virtual
environment. These included the following…
Dean Johnson, Head of Innovation, Brandwidth
The
experience of 30 years in the design, tech and publishing industries
has resulted in Dean's broad skill-base, all brought into play at
Brandwidth, with brand creation, development and application at the
heart, working across digital storytelling, narrative and audience
engagement.
Mark Curtis, Founder and CCO at Fjord
Mark's
first company was Curtis Hoy, which pioneered radio sales promotion from
1989. Highlights included introducing fixed frequency low-cost radios
as a sampling driver for the Pepsi taste test, bringing drive-in movies
to the UK for the first time ever (Diet Pepsi) and designing the first
marketing use of virtual reality in 1993 (for a Unilever brand).
Albert (Bertie) Millis, Managing Director, Virtual Umbrella
Bertie
manages the world's first marketing agency specifically aimed at
helping virtual reality companies develop and grow their businesses. The
firm works with developers and production studios, helping to promote
their services to the general public and large brands seeking to create
experiences using virtual reality.
Chris
Savage is the chief executive and co-founder of Wistia, a video
marketing and analytics platform that helps businesses host, customise,
and measure video content.
Amelia Kallman, Innovation Consultant, Engage Works
Engage
Works is behind the Flux LDN Innovation Lounge (one of the TimeOut
blog's five hot venues to check out). It's a global business that has
just expanded to Dubai. VR is a key part of Engage's offering and the
company hosts headsets in its Innovation Lounge.
Over
the last few years, Alasdair has led FITCH EMEA to win awards at Cannes
Lions, LIAs, Eurobest, World Retail Awards Store Design of the Year and
Retail Week Interior Awards: Design Team of the Year. He has judged at
Cannes Lions, the Brandrepublic Digital Awards and D&AD New Blood.
Luke Ritchie, Executive Producer, Nexus Interactive Arts
Luke
oversees the management, strategy and day-to-day running of Interactive
Arts in London. In 2016 he guides the company's involvement in Google's
Made w/Code initiative which has seen the development of many
interactive web projects and the fantastic real-time installation,
Holiday Trees, in front of the White House.
Joss Davidge, Director of the Unexpected, BEcause Brand Experience
With
nearly 30 years of marketing experience on both the agency and client
side, Joss believes that you have to be challenging creatively to grow
business sales. He says that technology is reshaping our world, and only
those businesses that can leverage these changes will be successful.
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