By: Jason Dorsett – Bayshore Solutions IT Team
Virtual Reality is about to make a major resurgence in our lives. Virtual Reality is a computer environment that mimics the real world. It has been around in some shape or form since the 1970’s, however the biggest roadblock to consumer virtual reality has been cost. That is changing.
Currently there are three major companies that are in the process of making Virtual Reality products for consumers. Those companies are Facebook’s Oculus Rift, Sony’s “Project Morpheus”, and Google’s “Cardboard: VR for Android”.
Let’s take a closer look at Google Cardboard…
It is the least expensive and is the only product currently available for the Android Smartphone. Cardboard is a simple enclosure made of “cardboard” that allows you to turn a smartphone into a VR headset. The Cardboard case is very easy to build. Google even gives a full set of instructions on how to build this device here
Consumer-convenience entrepreneurs are already catering to people who don’t want to make one themselves. There are many websites that offer them pre-made in the $10 to $25 range, like Unofficial Cardboard, DODOCase, and DealeXtreme
Google’s “Cardboard” VR Headset
So what can you do with Cardboard? Well, some of the things you can do with Cardboard right now are:
- you can fly with Google Earth,
- take a tour through Paris on Street Vue, and
- while you are in Virtual France stop in Versailles and take a tour with a local guide.
Google has released the code for this project and developers are working on new applications every day.
What does this mean for Business?
Because virtual reality tech is now accessible to basically anyone with an Android smartphone, a few odds & ends, and a pizza box (or roughly $20. In either case, this is a huge amount of people), consumers have a new way to engage and interact with your brand or business.
If this channel of access resonates with your customers, Businesses could utilize VR for a (paper)cutting-edge way to offer visual and virtual:
- “Shotgun” Driving or hand-in-hand walking directions to your location(s)
- Factory, location, property tours
- Walk-throughs of manufacturing, instructional or business processes
- Looks at latest seasonal products/fashions/trends
…and many other applications.
How many ways could you put a 3D experience into the hands/eyes of your customers to benefit their discovery, adoption, and preference of your products and services?
Bayshore Solutions helps our customers envision, create and implement their web infrastructure and digital marketing to put them ahead of the competition and grow their business. Contact us today to learn more about what we can do for you.
Jason Dorsett is the IT Manager of Bayshore Solutions—a Web Design, Web Development, and Digital Marketing agency.