Thursday, 7 May, 2020 UTC
Summary
By Tom Ffiske // 6 May 2020
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“Day XX of self-isolation. I considered buying the LEGO Millenium Falcon set for the fifth time today.”
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No-one! At least, not yet. If you would like to sponsor the newsletter series from April onwards, please let me know. This is a great way to get your message in front of hundreds of VR and AR professionals and decision-makers. Please email tom(at)virtualperceptions.com.
THE BIG STORY
Oculus is making a new version of its Quest headset. According to a scoop from Bloomberg, the standalone VR headset will be lighter, have better straps, and better controls. (The controls will likely solve the issue of the battery cases slipping all the time). The product could launch around Oculus Connect 7 in late 2020, though this may be delayed due to our… pandemic issue.
An updated Quest headset that solves user issues should sell well. As long as it is advertised as a different version rather than an update, it should satisfy the new wave of users who will hop on the hype train. But as the Bloomberg article says, the final product may look different.
For now, the company should focus on its supply-side issues. While improving – new headsets popped up on Amazon this week – Mark Zuckerburg noted on the earnings call that he wish he could meet the demand more.
It’s a shame that during a pandemic, when people are stuck at home, the actual number of headsets in the market are slim. And if some users buy the Oculus Go as their first headset, then it may do more damage than good. This New York Times article, when the writer goes through the customer journey and ends in disappointment, illustrates the point. Imagine seeing ads with people wielding sabers or rolling around… and then finding out you can’t do that with a Go.
Other stories
- Remember to sign up to the VR/AR Association Online Summit. What is there to lose, with no need to travel? Check it out here.
- A store mistake suggests Tetris Effect is coming to the Oculus Quest. As one of my favourite games on the PSVR, I look forward to diving back in.
- A patent also hints that there may be finger-tracking for PSVR 2. Small steps from a big leader in the VR space.
- The developers of The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets hint that hand-tracking is coming soon. Nice! Love the idea of poking small animals from time to time.
- Taqtile, who makes enterprise software for industrial workers, had a new update to include immersive functionality. The software can work with HoloLens 2, Magic Leap 1, and iPad. This is worth noting as their clients include the U.S. Air Force, Chevron, Novartis, Tata Steel, Life Cycle Engineering and others.
This can be you! Want to be seen at the forefront of the VR and AR community? Contact me today, and we can talk through how I can best help you. Please email tom(at)virtualperceptions.com.
JONNY KEELEY – THE IMMERSIVE WIRE INTERVIEW
Jonny Keeley is a photographer and filmmaker working in the immersive industry for “Shared VR” company Igloo Vision. When he isn’t doing that he’s either out shooting Landscapes as @ItsJonnyKeeley on Instagram or touring with his band Fight The Bear. Jonny covers his love of immersive, and which experiences he goes for.
Listen to the episode on the Immersive Wire Podcast:
FINAL WORD
Twitter is unmatched for finding experts in all the niches you can want. Twitter can also catch fire faster than dry twigs in a furnace. Earlier this week, a freelance journalist published a heavily-criticised piece on Forbes, exploring the decline of VR. The article cites reports that it is doing very well… while talking about how it is doing poorly. The language is also stuck in the 2016-2017 era when most headsets require a connection to an expensive PC, which is no longer the case. Experts widely panned the article.
The day after, a contributor to Forbes cited the same article and provided the other side of the argument. Providing multiple perspectives is vital for any balanced argument, but I raised an eyebrow when my search results look like this:
Contributor networks split the identity and opinions of the website, and dilutes the authoritative power a site holds. If sites become platforms for inconsistent hot-takes, then their trust may erode over time.
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Tom Ffiske
Editor, Virtual Perceptions
Tom Ffiske specialises in writing about VR, AR, and MR across the immersive reality industry. Tom is based in London.
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