Taylor Swift Might Serve as the Catalyst the VR Industry Requires
By Justin | Published | No Comments
In the Quest for Widespread Virtual Reality Adoption, Companies May Discover an Unlikely Enthusiastic Audience: Swifties.
Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, marked by its unparalleled popularity with fans splurging thousands on tickets and breaking box office records in its cinematic debut, is now sparking optimism among virtual reality (VR) experts. The hope is that the tour’s massive success will inspire Swift’s devoted fanbase, known as “Swifties,” to embrace the immersive world of VR.
The Eras Tour, beyond its presence in stadiums and cinemas worldwide, is also available for streaming on Amazon’s Prime Video app. Swifties quickly discovered that, akin to other content on Prime Video, they could enjoy the film in virtual theaters through the Prime Video VR app on a Meta Quest.
Videos circulating on TikTok and other social media platforms showcase Swifties enthusiastically singing along while donning VR headsets, creating a viral trend. Industry insiders are now speculating that the cinematic experience provided by the highest-grossing tour in music history might serve as a catalyst for the widespread VR adoption that the industry has been striving to achieve.
Also read : Man proposes during Taylor Swift concert, netizens love it
Despite previous struggles in achieving mass VR adoption, recent developments suggest a potential turning point. The 2022 Deloitte survey revealed that approximately 12% of American respondents and 8% of UK respondents owned a VR headset, indicating a gradual increase in interest and ownership.
The sluggish adoption of virtual reality (VR) has been influenced by technological constraints, but exorbitant costs have emerged as a significant deterrent. The breakthrough came in 2016 with the release of the Facebook-acquired Oculus Rift, marking the first commercially viable VR product at a price of $600 (£470). Subsequent advancements have led to more affordable options, such as the recently unveiled Meta Quest 3 at $499 (£391), set to launch in September, and a reduced cost for its predecessor, the Meta Quest 2, to $299 (£234) in June. However, certain VR headsets, like Apple’s Vision Pro, set to launch in February, still command a steep price starting at $3,499 (£2,741).
Also read : Taylor Swift Eras tour general sale continues as fans slam Ticketmaster & AXS
Traditionally, the expense of attending a concert pales in comparison to acquiring new hardware. However, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour has upended this dynamic. With resale tickets averaging over $3,800 (£2,977) each, insiders in the VR industry believe that Swift’s unprecedented popularity might offer a solution to the challenges of both content availability and affordability.
Rolf Illenberger, CEO of VRdirect, a Munich-based company specializing in creating virtual experiences, notes, “Buying a VR headset for $400 might sound unreasonably high, but if you think about buying it as an alternative to experiencing a Taylor Swift concert… $400 sounds like a reasonable alternative. The price point for a Taylor Swift fan is not a limiting factor to watch the superstar over and over again in this immersive experience.”
Taylor Swift is a killer app for virtual reality. It was a big signal to me, and really reaffirmed that powerful IP is a necessary ingredient to attract folks to a brand-new device category – Tom Emrich
With the increased functionality and affordability of VR headsets, many industry experts believe that the crucial missing element is a compelling piece of software or content that motivates the average person to invest in new hardware.
Renowned VR expert and self-proclaimed Swiftie, Tom Emrich, expresses his excitement about the convergence of his two passions on social media during the holidays, stating, “Taylor Swift is a killer app for virtual reality.” Emrich, who is the Director of Product and Augmented Reality Platforms for Niantic Labs in San Francisco (the company behind Pokémon Go), sees Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour as a clear signal that powerful intellectual property (IP) is essential to attract people to a new device category.
Emrich notes that The Eras Tour Concert Film, while not filmed in VR with cameras, provides a unique experience. Rather than immersing fans in a front-row concert setting, the experience is akin to being in a movie theater, with the Eras Tour film playing on a virtual screen. He emphasizes that this represents the baseline VR experience and anticipates that content quality will improve significantly as events are captured using 3D filming technology. For example, he mentions the potential for a 2023 Megan Thee Stallion concert experience or an upcoming Doja Cat event, designed to make fans feel like they are standing on stage next to their favorite artist.
Latest posts
