NOT ALL VR IS CREATED EQUAL

Recently I was listening to the Joe Rogan Experience Podcast. Joe is having a discussion with Brian Redban about Virtual Reality and the Metaverse.

Rogan asked Redban “Why do you think the Metaverse didn’t take off? Why was that a colossal failure?”     

Redban replies that in Zuckerberg’s version of the Metaverse no one has legs. Everyone looks like Nintendo Wii characters and it’s goofy. The more realistic stuff is already out there. The Metaverse that Zuckerberg is creating is not it.  That looks like it’s for kids. 

I agree with Redbans assessment. Nintendo Wii type characters could work for video game players, however there is nothing “reality” about them therefore it’s not for the masses.

I am a founder at CampusVR. We began by creating tours of college campuses however that has been spreading into sports game day activities, music concerts, tourism, job training, and commercial real estate. 

I’ve been in the virtual reality world for 4 years. In 2019 when we were just getting started we did case studies. People preferred a 360° video on their phone rather than use VR headsets. As the technology evolved so did the users’ behaviors. Today, almost all the people want the 360° video through a headset.  

Also, movement plays a big role in keeping the user engaged. So, we created robots that simulate a human being working. The robot is roughly 6 feet tall. This keeps everything at eye level to make sure the user stays engaged. 

Drones do not have the same effect. The bird’s eye view has a much shorter user engagement time. It takes away from the immersion of feeling that you are actually “there.”  The more reality in the virtual reality, the longer the watch times.  

Rogan asked if the goggles are a barrier to entry. I don’t believe so.

Our partners don’t walk, they run to get VR headsets once they see the value in the virtual reality tours we create for them. When VR is done right it’s amazing. It is wild how cool it looks.The best responses we receive is when people feel like they can just reach out and touch something. I have given demos where a person jumps out of the way because they think a football is going to hit them at a Auburn University football game. That is virtual reality!

This is reinforced with the watch times.  People are watching CampusVR’s 5 minute videos for 20-30 minutes at a time. They are going back to watch again from other angles. I don’t know anything about your Youtube habits however this is what I will tell you. When you put on a Youtube video it has your eyeballs for no more than 10 seconds before you turn your head away even if the video is still on. VR is winning the battle in a generation known for 3 second hooks & 7 second Tiktoks.

So when Joe Rogan asked why it hasn’t taken off?

VR is taking off Joe, the metaverse is not. 

Joe Rogan clip below. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciJPFzB29Ak