VR and AR Were Scary Content Successes For Halloween This Year
Virtual reality and augmented reality are growing by the day. And while the immersive entertainment options don't permeate every aspect our viewing options just yet, they've managed to stake a major claim to a few different sectors -- including the subject of horror, or specifically, material perfect for Halloween. This year's batch of creepy content included "Jigsaw" augmented reality ads, a "Stranger Things" Snapchat lens and a look into the mind of "Night Night" creator Guy Shelmerdine (among other scary selections).Your full rundown of VR/AR entertainment and advertising happenings are below. See anything else we need to know about? Let us know.Why Binge Watch When You Can Binge Experience? TV is About to Seem Old-School [Digital Trends]Subscribe to your favorite VR creators much like you already do for your favorite YouTube creators. Scroll through genres of experiences on Netflix and Hulu, rather than just through genres of film. Do virtually all the things you normally would have been too tired or too broke to do in the real world, and turn your binge time into a second lifestyle of fulfillment. And if you’re too tired from your long day to slog through the haptic hand gestures and run around on the VR treadmill, the binge-watching is still there for you in spectator mode; even then, you could still choose to be in the experience instead of just watching it from afar.Netflix’s Immersive Stranger Things Snapchat Lens Transports You to Joyce Byers’ Eerie Living Room [Adweek]Using the app’s rear-facing camera, consumers can tap on the screen to play around with the lens. According to Snapchat, the campaign is the first use of a “portal” lens that puts consumers in the middle of an augmented reality experience. For example, tapping the bookshelf in the room causes books to fall. Touching the hole in the wall causes a scary arm to pop out and the string of lights turn on when tapped.The Artist Who Turned His Nightmares Into a VR Funhouse [Vice]Shelmerdine later told me, "The central idea of any good horror premise in VR is facing somewhere that you are scared to go... and then going in anyway," and at this point, I've already begun to feel that tension. I know what spooky theatrical sets look and feel like, but the dank basement gives off more of a not-yet-renovated vibe. Brands Must Grasp the Digitally Driven Consumer Journey or Risk Becoming Prey [Adweek]Digital transformation is increasingly an area of focus for executives in every industry. And yet, many don’t feel confident in their company’s ability to understand the potential for change. After conducting a survey of 400 executives at companies of more than 250 people, a 2015 Forrester report revealed that just 26 percent of respondents felt confident that their CEO had a “clear vision” for the company’s digital future. Meanwhile, just 21 percent said they had the right culture, while the same percentage said they had the right people. Microsoft Just Opened a Hologram Studio for VR and AR Content [ZDNet]"Our goal is to make high-quality holographic captures accessible for mixed reality creators everywhere," Microsoft said in a blog announcing the initiative. Microsoft plans to open more capture studios around the world under licensing agreements similar to its partnership with Dimension Studios. This expands on the first Mixed Reality Academy Microsoft opened in Redmond two years ago, which has captured "thousands of performances", including from astronaut Buzz Aldrin and beatboxer Reggie Watts.Virtual Reality Gets Naughty [The New York Times]According to website Pornhub, views of VR porn are up 275 percent since it debuted in the summer of 2016. Now the site is averaging about 500,000 views (on Christmas Day in 2016, this number shot up to 900,000.) By 2025 pornography will be the third-largest VR sector, according to estimates prepared by Piper Jaffray, an investment and management firm. Only video games and N.F.L.-related content will be larger, it predicted, and the market will be worth $1 billion.Michael Wolf: The Future of Advertising [MediaPost]Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Headed to Playstation VR [VR Focus]Filmed In 2D & 360° Simultaneously, Cornerstone VR Asks If You Could Help A Child By Fostering [VR Focus]Poly is Google’s Foundation for Building Virtual Worlds [Upload VR]
