There has been a great deal of talk around virtual reality but so far the impact of this new tech has been minimal. But that could be about to change
Much of the focus has been on Oculus Rift but, judging by some recent tweets from Charlie Brooker, Sony’s Playstation VR (SPVR) may be the game changer.
Brooker is an experienced journalist, broadcaster, comedian, scriptwriter, futurist and gamer. He’s the man behind the critically acclaimed Black Mirror, the latest series of which is produced by Netflix. Charlie Brooker is not easily impressed and makes his living by considering how technology and humanity will interact.
So what was Brooker’s reaction on Twitter after spending an afternoon exploring virtual worlds via SPVR?
“It’s mental, it’s like DREAMING the f***ing game.”
Brooker was blown away by what he describes as “the sense of presence”. He had always imagined VR as giving a first-person experience but found that even third-person games were totally immersive to point of being “downright bizarre”.
And Brooker clearly does not see VR as a fad. “Bloody HELL that’s the future right there” he tweeted, also admitting that he’d had to take the headset off while playing Batman as he was getting “too freaked out”.
If there’s such a strong and enthusiastic reaction from a professional media sceptic like Brooker, then how will we more mortals react to VR? Also remember that this technology will evolve at an incredible rate, becoming increasingly realistic.
While Sony is clearly competing with Oculus Rift, there has also been high praise for HTC’s Vive, with many describing it as superior to the SPVR. The arms race for virtual dominance has only just started and the stakes are high.
Prices are coming down with Vive costing £749, SPVR just £349 and Oculus Rift £549.
Could VR be the future of B2B content?
It’s a huge leap from playing Batman on a Playstation to engaging a business audience. But the journey has already started. Google is investing in the technology and also, critically, in the media that will appear via the tech.
VR may have been focused on gaming but Google is investing its considerable resources for the mass market. VR will, in the next few years, become a normal way to consume all sorts of content.
The most successful forms of content marketing are those that don’t feel like marketing and fit seamlessly with the other types of content that an audience is consuming.
B2B audiences will be spending more and more time in virtual realities. The cleverest marketers will be those who can help meet the needs of businesses and their employees in these virtual worlds.
Engagement is key to content marketing, and judging from Brooker’s reaction, content doesn’t get more engaging than when it becomes virtually real.
