What Happened
Oculus is adding two new features to the Samsung Gear VR headset to make a more social experience. The first is a voice-chat system called Parties that allows users jump into a voice call and talk with others while wearing the headset. The second feature is called Rooms, which creates virtual living spaces for multiplayer Gear VR experiences. This creates a space where Gear VR users can hang out with their friends, chat with each other, and even interact with the virtual objects in the room.
What Brands Should Do
These two new features offer an exciting glimpse into the vast potential virtual reality technologies have in advancing our concept of online engagements and digital interactions. Although virtual reality may still be a few years away from mass adoption (as we predicted in the 2020 section in our Outlook 2016), brands looking to stay ahead of the innovation curve would be smart to start developing their own branded VR content and figure out a robust VR distribution strategy today.
The Lab currently has five VR headsets — a PlayStation VR, an Oculus Rift, an HTC Vive, and two Samsung Gear VRs — ready for demos. Virtual reality is something that has to be experienced to be understood, so come by the Lab and ask for a VR demo to get a hands-on experience and figure out how your brand can use it to excite and engage with consumers.
Source: The Verge
