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The Secret to Oculus Rift’s Success Revealed!

The Secret to Oculus Rift’s Success Revealed!

Virtual Reality is on the precipice of being in the hands of the consumer. Still, it seems very much in its conceptual stages at this point with very few “killer apps” announced. Undoubtedly, major publishers are waiting to see how widely adopted the hardware ends up being. I think a few things need to happen before we really see the technology take hold and, of course, there is still a pretty good chance that the Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR just won’t take off. Here is what I think needs to happen so that they actually do.

First, the technology can’t be marketed as a strictly gaming experience. There are a lot of hobbyists and non-gaming consumers who would love virtual reality experiences. Not everybody is willing to go out and buy gaming platforms that are even cheaper than the Oculus Rift, and those come with the major brand loyalty that you expect from Microsoft, PlayStation and Nintendo consoles. Perhaps if it’s seen as more of a video player or is bundled with computers then word of mouth may create a demand for non-traditional gamers.

Gamers will have to acknowledge that the Oculus Rift will be more of a place for apps than a place for games at this point. This isn’t to say that there won’t be good games by any means. It’s just that the applications of VR extend far beyond typical gameplay. We are already seeing some of this pre-launch.

Currently there are already games that offer meditative experiences and others that serve therapeutic functions. Other pieces of software just allow the user to explore scenic locales. Can you imagine the benefits of this kind of application for those who are unable to travel? Elderly people who have difficulty walking can now explore high definition destinations from their living room. With cameras designed to film in VR formats, it’s hard to not see the Oculus Rift competing with Wii Bowling in retirement homes.

There will also have to be a good storefront for these applications. They will have to be affordable, curated, and offer consumers a one-stop shop for most of their VR needs, whether they’re looking for videos, games, or social applications. Social applications, naturally, would fit in nicely with the fact that Facebook is currently the company that owns Oculus Rift. I would wager they’ll be pushing the tech pretty heavily to Facebook users, too, at some point down the road.

The Secret to Oculus Rift’s Success Revealed!

That’ll be very important, too. Marketing needs to happen and it needs to happen in big ways. The PS Vita was a technologically impressive handheld. So was the PSP in its day. Both of these devices ultimately failed in the US because of Sony’s poor attempts at marketing. The Oculus Rift could easily suffer the same fate. In fact, it may be more at risk. It’s seemingly gimmicky and pretty damn expensive at first glance, after all.

The Oculus Rift is going to cost around 600 dollars at launch. There’s a cheaper option in the form of Samsung Gear, but the Rift is still the premium experience. If consumers are going to be expected to adopt this new medium, then that price needs to come down. People are understandably skeptical, as VR is something that has been attempted in the past. 3D televisions even lacked the draw that was expected of them. If people are wary, they will need to be properly enticed with a reasonable price point and a quality experience.

There are some who will pay $600 for the device, and they’ll be happy with playing mostly games on the Rift. But it’s hard to imagine a decent install base rising from those conditions, and I would like to see VR really catch on. I would like publishers to see it as a suitable place for their content. And while porn can be a huge selling point, I am not sure that we should be relying on that to really make the whole thing take off. We need more mainstream applications for long-term mainstream success.

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