We imagine video-game addicts sprawled on their sofas donning VR headgear to blast virtual aliens. But the better business strategy in the long run is catering to companies and business professionals over the homebound gamer.
Virtual reality and similar technologies are in the eye of the Silicon Valley hype storm right now. We imagine video-game addicts sprawled on their sofas donning VR headgear to blast virtual aliens. That is happening already.
But the better business strategy in the long run is catering to companies and business professionals over the homebound gamer.
Businesses are the target audience off the bat for Microsoft and its HoloLens project, goggles that mix virtual images — the terrain of Mars, for example, or a helpful electrical expert — with the real world.
This sister of VR is often called “augmented reality” and is on full display in “Pokemon Go.” Yes, the fun-and-games potential for HoloLens is huge. When Microsoft first showed off the gadget 18 months ago, it made sure to let people try an AR version of its “Minecraft” video game.
Microsoft, though, mostly has businesses in its HoloLens sights. The company last week expanded availability of HoloLens gear to all U.S. and Canadian businesses. Microsoft has also stressed how architects are trying out HoloLens to collaborate on building designs and how medical students are getting in-depth anatomy lessons in AR.
Picture by Microsoft Sweden – win10_HoloLens_livingRoom, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=47493653
