Category: Augmented Reality

Mobile Web VR Games: Perfect Tool for Marketing’17

Yes we know, everyone has predicted that 2016 will be the year of VR. Despite of this, the sales of premium VR headsets have been sluggish as pointed out by MIT technology review. But what we believe is that 2017 is the perfect year to start working with mobile VR games content and experimenting with new VR ad formats in your brand and/or content marketing…

Already tired of reading: Play our brand new multiplayer VR Game by 3doo.

…and here is why: 

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Source: MIT Technology Review

As mentioned in the blog post after f8 2016, where Mark Zuckerberg announced the news around Oculus Rift VR development, the reach of mobile VR factors were higher than True VR – at least factor 4 according to Jesse Schell, of Schell Games.

In his VR games talk at GDC, Jesse forecasted that by 2017, 32 million mobile VR headsets would’ve been purchased. His projections indicate that VR headsets sales would double every year, reaching the 2 Billion mark, as early as 2023 (he differentiates between Gamer VR and consumer devices, which he calls Mobile VR). Brands will sponsor VR native-content, leaving ample opportunities for product placement and non-intrusive ad forms.

Source: GDC presentation, Jesse Schell

But the real True VR or Gamer VR numbers end up quite different than predicted.

The most obvious answer is accessibility. The $800 Oculus Rift with Touch controllers requires a desktop computer approaching $1,000 (or more) to run, as does the $700 HTC Vive. Only dedicated PC gamers are likely to own a compatible system already –  TechnologyReview. 

So, it is crystal clear that the cost is prohibitive right now. On the other hand, Google Cardboard, Samsung Gear and Google Daydream become more popular than predicted. According to reports, the amount of monthly active users (MAU) of Gear VR alone surpassed 1 Million already in summer 2016.

So as a company who is experienced on the combination of marketing and gaming, we focused on reasons for mobile VR games not being a mainstream hit.

And we came up with 3 core reasons:

  1. Bad usability
  2. Need of installation
  3. Quality of the content

Also industry experts and leading VCs in the AR/VR space confirm that these are the core obstacles:

2017 will be the year of Mobile VR. I hope people will get past the two biggest barriers for VR, which is a lack of content and game experiences and of course the price barrier. – Shawn Cheng, principle at Vayner/RSE – early investors in Oculus, source: VRV 2016

Mobile VR will dominate in the mainstream. It’s going to get to the point where it is just as high quality as what we have for PC VR now, and it’s going to become True VR.” – Stephanie Llamas, director of research and head of VR/AR strategy at SuperData Research, source: VRV 2016

By taking these 3 cores in our focus, we started working on this issue to maintain a sustainable choice for marketers whom are in the need of an effective VR marketing tool. As a result; we have developed a technology and content which helps marketers to overcome all the 3 barriers.

But how?

1. Usability Solution: Adding 360/3D fallback to overcome usability issues

We know from our experience with Toywheel in the early mobile AR/VR market, that solving the onboarding experience has to be as easy as a child can get. So thus, we have added an option to every game that allows to run in 360 degree/3D fallback mode. This helps people to discover the possibilities and the working habit of VR even if they do not have any glasses to experience.

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VR games onboarding menu – ready to run the game in fallback 3D mode

2. Need of Installation: Mobile VR html5 technology to get rid of app installs

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We already knew that with the current power of html5 technology, we can achieve native-like experience in web based games. So we used this know-how and combined with VR and gave user a chance to experience VR on any mobile device without any operation system limits. Our VR games can work fluidly on iOS, Android, Windows and other platforms on any type of browser.

3. Quality Content: High performance JavaScript (JS) engine to overcome quality issues

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By the power of not only Grayskull but high performance JS engine, we managed to develop finest quality VR games, with loading time of under 1 second. This become viable when the game expertise from developing physics-driven games in the 90ties is applied to the current JS technology, which comes very close to performance of the native code in the recent browser versions. Our tech also allows to sync the game for multiple players on the backend, without any performance issue for instant VR multiplayer mode.
“You are saying that you solved them all, but where are your products?” you asked, right? No? Maybe not you, but you sir, yes with the black shirt, you asked. So here is a little glimpse of what we did already and which mobile VR ad formats we’re ready to deliver today!

Mobile VR ads formats

The success of Pokémon Go, which dominated the 91bn dollars mobile games industry in 2016, demonstrates that to achieve great success with new technologies like augmented reality or virtual reality you have to actually think simple. At Gamewheel we already offering the most popular 2D casual game mechanics, which you can simply edit, brand and share through our platform. So we thought, why could not we do exactly the same with VR technology in the advertising space.

Branded VR Game: World’s first Web VR Game Ad campaign

Why not to bring the most original and truly addictive casual game invented by Atari to VR first? Click play below to try the VR multiplayer pong.

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How does it work? You need to look up/down or tilt your head left/right to steer the racket which you have to hit the ball.

The advantage of this casual game is that it’s very easy to brand in the most effective way. Have a look how our first branded Web VR Game Ad campaign for the super cool app 3doo looks like:

Multiplayer 3D/VR Pong Game

Multiplayer 3D/VR Pong Game

You can play this game on your own or share it with your friends via messenger and then play against each other, wherever you’re, independently of the mobile device you use and in 3D or VR if you have a cardboard at hand. This is all made possible by our powerful Web VR Game engine, specifically optimized for high-performance multiplayer gaming ad campaigns. This Web VR Game Ad runs even in any interstitial banner… isn’t cool or have you seen multiplayer banners already before?

VR Game branded experience

Audi’s VR experience invites you to drive cars in a sandbox. Remember how much fun you had playing in the sandbox as a kid? With handfuls of toy cars and a wild imagination, you could create your own mini world of dunes, jumps and turns that required some serious driving skills.

In what Audi is calling “Enter Sandbox,” the real-time VR experience combines a physical installation with an immersive driving simulator, letting you test-drive the new Audi Q5 on a sandbox track you just made with your own hands.

VR Game with Brand/Product Placement

We already launched a successful driving game in AR with Toywheel, so we thought we not to repeat the success in virtual reality domain? We’re planning to launch a VR multiplayer driving game to advertising new car models. The unique part of such VR game is, there are a lot of places for different brands. The game offers level to brand, car to brand or even billboards in the game are all available to brand.

screen-shot-2017-01-11-at-6-22-20-pmWith Gamewheel Partner Network we already started collecting what our partners like Trivver and Vire.co need and how we can come up with the perfect solutions for their need on our platform. For example the partner – Trivver from LA – is working on an SDK-based approach of delivering product placements into the VR (and also 3D) games.

Jointly with Trivver we’re able to deliver VR ads on scale. How does it work?

Bidding: Digital publishers list their 3D generic content to be replaced by branded items on the ad exchange, and brands then bid on the advertising opportunity.

Product placement: The product is displayed in the immersive environment and appears in the consumer’s smart tab, an interactive screen that houses content all brands have placed in the viewer’s environment. The smart tab allows the consumer to learn more about a brand, download discount coupons and see shop locations; the information is presented in a non- intrusive way.

Targeting and predictive analytics: Advertisers use analytics to better target their audience, putting the ads that are most applicable in front the consumer, based on that consumer’s actions, in real time. Advertisers are provided with analytics reports on viewability metrics, user engagement metrics and user data (behavioral patterns and psychographic and demographic information). The information can be used to create an even more personalized experience for the consumer.

paramount-screen-2VR game ad or interactive mobile banner

Last, but not least – you can also run simple VR game experiences or gamified banners. We already have lots of experience running 2D Game ads or Playable ads – what prevents us from putting the VR game into a mobile ad banner?

Nothing.  

So, don’t you want to be on another reality too?

Let’s be a part of 2017, the year of mobile VR games! 

Lessons from dmexco 2016 – by Gamewheel CCO, Olcayto Cengiz

What I Learned in dmexco 2016

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This year I was at dmexco (Digital Marketing Exposition & Conference) 2016 as an exhibitor first time in my life with Gamewheel. It was quite an experience to be there as an exhibitor but not as a visitor. But I didn’t just sit and wait, instead spent my time with collecting some knowledge and here are my learnings from dmexco.

Exhibitor vs. Visitor

First things first. Being an exhibitor is far more exhausting. Spending the 2 days in a row from early morning till the late night is something that requires energy.Being a visitor can be fun and more comfortable but being an exhibitor gives you the chance to discover all the halls and booths without crowd.It is hard to make new friendships if you are a visitor. But if you are an exhibitor, you are having so many “BFF”s for 2 days 🙂

Pure Business

This years motto was “Pure Business”. And at the end of 2 days, I want to shake hands of the fella who came up with this phrase because it was totally bullseye. dmexco was full of business.

It was all about experience. VR and AR were the sexy topics but the real issue were PaaS and SaaS providers.

Seems that ad blocking and the need to find a way around this resulted as the birth of so many startups with the claim of “finding a new and unique innovative way” solutions which were, to be honest, almost identical.

Cloud was another big player. So many cloud companies came up with offerings like a dozen different types of packages.

Where the Frak are Creative Agencies?!

It was a big shock for me to see -or maybe I should say not to see- none of the digital creative agencies in dmexco. Or worse, none of any advertising agencies. There was a lounge for ad agencies, called as “Agency Lounge”, that was it. HAVAS was the overweighting company in the lounge, but that was it.

Lounge for Agencies.

Dentsu was there and they acted more likely as the media agency but their message was to the point.

Sum of dmexco, sum of future

Only Digitas LBi was holding the doors as a “Marketing Agency” with creativity and media assets.

Meanwhile there were like DOZENS of media agencies, and the “Big Guys” were there, embracing the digital era.

More surprisingly, the “usual suspects” were there, as expected, but they were acting as a “media platform” instead of a search engine or social networking platform. Yes, Facebook, Google, Twitter, Yahoo, Bing, ViceSpotify, Tumblr etc. Everyone was there. And they were positioning themselves like “media agencies” not any type of social platform. Even Adobe! They were there to show that they are the best friend of media agencies.

“Usual Suspects”





Big bosses were there; WPP, Publicis. But their creative and advertising branches were nowhere around. Imagine a conference where one of the opening talk is “Sir Martin Sorrell of WPP in a conversation with Jack Dorsey of Twitter” and none of the WPP agencies -despite media agencies- were there.

There was only 1 other gamifying ad company at the whole dmexco and it was not even a platform like us. Our approach with Gamewheel Creatorhad a magnetic effect on the visitors because there were no really creativity. I mean, of course there were creativity all around but not in a visual way. Mostly solution based. When we put on something which combines solution AND creativity, it was a blast. That gave me more hope about our future, we really may lead the way.



#GamifyYourself

So the results,

Yes this is me and this is my “The Results” shot.

What I learned from this view is, if it will go like this, future is going to be written by media agencies, service providers and solution partners. This may sound boring and yes I know it is very nice to say that creativity is sexy, but to be honest business is grey suit, not the red night dress.

Every company trying to reserve a place in the future must reposition themselves and embrace the new way we are leading.

Mad Men era was good, but now we are entering the Mad Code era.

Gamewheel at gamescom congress

“The reality is too mainstream. Get augmented!” – Gamewheel’s CEO Evgeni Kouris at gamescom Congress in Cologne.
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Gamescom Congress is Germany’s biggest convention on digital games. The congress acts as a bridge between other cultural and creative branches with digital economy. Representatives of the economy, science, society, politics, culture and of course the games industry will devote themselves to a number of the most varied questions in five focus areas: Knowledge –Business- APITS- Legal- Life.

Under the scope of APITS, a huge conversation will be focusing on the “Computer Games as a multifunctional tool” so Gamewheel could not miss the opportunity to present its online gaming platform that serves as a SaaS tool with multifaceted implications. Gamescom congress offers the possibility to the attendee’s like Gamewheel to share various benefits to the participants in an exciting exchange of current questions surrounding the games and digital industries concerning society as a whole.

Gamewheel CEO, Evgeni Kouris, knows well that the dynamics of the gaming industry have changed significantly over the past few years due to the arrival of new technologies . In addition to that the era of social and mobile advertising offered great opportunities to the world of marketing. Gaming is now considered as a very powerful tool as it offers impressive brand engagement with its audience and this is something that marketers can no longer ignore. The analytics send a clear message: time spent in playing games is growing fast at an unprecedented rate.

Gamewheel is going to take part in the conversation focusing mainly on Augmented Reality. In August 18, at 14.45 time in APITS area (3) the main topic of Gamewheel’s presentation would be “The Future is Augmented”. Through company’s experienced eyes participants will listen to the latest technologies applied in the gaming industry in relation to Augmented Reality and discover the numerous possibilities of successful implications of this trend in the advertising industry. The main focus of this congress section is the multifunction of computer games as a useful tool to the market today.

Since the impressive entrance into the market of Augmented Reality (AR) applications and especially after the amazing effect that Pokemon Go AR game had globally, there are a lot of important things to discuss and many opportunities in the gaming industry that arise. Our CEO Evgenis Kouris has already gained a considerable experience in AR games since Toywheel, a brother company of Gamewheel which had long before launched the “Toy Car”, an AR game for kids.

Based on recent research studies, the future is going to be really interesting for the mobile and AR/VR (augmented and virtual reality) advertising market. There is a clear estimation that by 2020 the impressive 10% of the total advertising budget spent will be deposited to the AR/VR advertising sector. Predictions show a clear possibility of 12bn dollars driven to creative AR/VR advertising products, so there is no doubt that game ad platforms and AR/VR platforms are the next big thing in the market.

The gamescom congress is a great opportunity for influencers and decision makers to discuss, promote and stimulate the necessary exchange of ideas and controversial discussions in both local and international contexts.

Gamewheel is happy to welcome you there and invites you to join the conversation about “The Augmented Future” in the gaming industry.

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Trending News about Augmented Reality Games -Pokémon Go

When the talk comes to Augmented Reality games (AR) here at Gamewheel offices, we have tones of new information technologies and games to discuss about. But, this week was different than any other week. We have been absolutely overwhelmed by the introduction of “Pokémon Go”, which we believe it is for sure the talk of the month!

As discussed in previous blog posts in Gamewheel website, related to AR games , the future is here, and the image of Gaming industry is ready to accept the big challenge! The latest game that entered the market and seems to have an impressive effect of the AR gaming world is “Pokémon Go”: The evolution of AR games.

Pokemon Go on the use

Since 6th of July , the gaming industry will never be the same again. The introduction of Pokémon Go in the game industry is a fact, and within the first few days of release, it managed to hit the top on the chart of downloaded games.

Pokémon Go is a GPS based augmented reality mobile game developed by Niantic for iOS and Android devices. It was only released in first week of July but it has already become extremely popular. The game allows players to capture, battle, and train virtual Pokémon who appear throughout the real world. The game is downloaded for free, but players can make purchases through the app while playing as are tempted to buy extra PokéBalls and other in-app features.

Pokémon Go is the first edition of the game – whose slogan is “gotta catch ‘em all” – for mobile phones and lets players apprehend the eponymous monsters using their smartphone cameras. “It has turned Nintendo from a reluctant adopter of mobile gaming to an augmented reality trailblazer that has taken gaming off the sofa and into uncharted territory” The Guardian stated online.

Pokémon Go Plus

By end of July the company promised that will launch “Pokémon Go Plus”, a portable Bluetooth wearable device. Pokémon Go Plus is an accessory that will offer players an improved experience, and will alert them when a Pokémon is nearby so to try catch it. It will also let them know when they are near a PokéStop, enabling them to gather items without having to look at their phone. Really cool, right?
Mobile Action Metrics for Pokemon Go 1

Reference: Mobile Action

In just 24 hours upon its release, Pokémon Go, Niantic Labs’ new free-to-download mobile game was the top grossing app on the App Store in the United States. Yahoo tech updates, stated that Pokémon game adds $7.5 billion to Nintendo market value in just two days! Download estimation for Pokémon Go reached 1 million based on Mobile Action metric data presented in graphs above. Guardian Online reported that some Australian servers experienced problems in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane due to the game’s popularity.

We are so looking forward to experiencing all the exciting features that Pokémon Go and Pokémon Go Plus will offer to the world of AR Games. Just remember to play safely!

Are you ready to “catch’ em all” ?

 

Everything We Learned at re:publica TEN

The talk of town this week was re:publica TEN, but what has truly been making news headlines is the annual conference’s first ever Virtual Reality exhibition which highlighted some of Germany’s and Europe’s leading VR/AR labs, companies, agencies and schools and paved the way for the Performersion exhibition (scroll down for more details).  

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Headsets, Headsets Everywhere

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People flocked to the separate exhibition ground to get their hands-on VR experience. Many were fascinated by the latest VR news coming out of Samsung and Facebook’s and felt the need to experience “what the hype was all about!” They were not disappointed.

Stands ranged from immersive art experiences, to VR cinema, as well as horror survival games, Augmented Reality concepts and mobile apps.

Toywheel’s stand boasted both a server based virtual reality Pong game (which you can still play if you have a VR headset lying around) and our classic Augmented reality App Toy Car RC. The positive and supportive feedback once again confirmed that we are certainly on the right path when it comes to our VR/AR strategy and future predictions.

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As it was our first time at the conference, we weren’t sure what to expect, but our CEO and veteran re:publica TEN attendee ushered us into the conference’s expertly constructed  world of tech, media and politics. With over 850 speakers and 500 hours of programing centering on topics ranging from nudity, fashion, gaming, Virtual Reality, health, education and internet freedom. We were definitely able to find our people among the crowds.  

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So Here’s What We Learned:

re:publica TEN is not just about meeting new people and experiencing new things. It’s about hearing different opinions and openingly engaging with hard-hitting political and societal issues. No topic was left untouched, be it the: refugee crisis, hate speech, social media and nudity, the code of conduct for immersive arts and tech in fashion.

VR/AR are here to stay! The public’s response and demand for VR content is a clear indication of the tech tides. VR is a hot commodity that outlives its hype. It is a clear path to new and immersive experiences that will lead the evolution in media consumption and human interaction.

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The best part? The plethora of talks and panels are openly available to watch and listen to online via the the conference’s Youtube channel and podcasts. So, it truly is an experience not to be missed.

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Performersion

re:publica TEN wrapped up on Wednesday but our fun was not over yet. We stuck around to participate in the first ever exhibition of it’s kind: Performersion, where art and tech meet to collaborate. The two-day event, which was open and free to the public, led to some incredible insights and some amazing new ideas. We found ourselves amongst our peers as well as VR/AR enthusiasts and evangelists and some kids who are really, really, good at handling technology.

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All in all, it was a week well spent. Our creativity batteries have definitely been recharged and we can’t wait to dive right back into the studio to cook up some crazy new ideas inspired by both events.

A big THANK YOU, to those of you who stopped by and said “Hi,” It was truly a pleasure to meet so many of you. Let’s stay in touch.

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Have you missed us at re:publica TEN? No worries, we plan to present our newest AR/VR games and concepts at the upcoming and amazing Tech Open Air (TOA) conference 13–15 July in Berlin. So hope to see you soon (again)!

Gamewheel’s Re:Publica & Performersion Debut

We’re extremely excited to announce that we’ll participating in both Re:publica (2016) Ten and the first ever Performersion. One of the main focuses of this year’s conferences is Virtual Reality (VR). A whole separate exhibition ground (Labore:tory) will be dedicated to exploring how VR can impact our society, culture, and daily lives. This is where you will find our stand, which will be exhibiting our latest VR game concepts developed at our very own R&D lab and game studio, Toywheel.

VR Headset

Toywheel has pioneered  AR games since 2014 with Toy Car RC game, which has been featured multiple times by Apple globally and downloaded over 150.000 times. As the creative and experimental VR extension of Gamewheel, Toywheel is where unique and often crazy ideas are developed which are later leveraged into fully customizable and scalable Game Ad solutions on our interactive content platform, Gamewheel.

If you’re planning on attending either event, then drop by to experience our latest VR game concepts and be part of the immersive art movement!

We’re having a pretty cool giveaway as well. So don’t forget to drop your business card inside our B-box for a chance to win your very own VR headset.

Where there is VR, you will find us.

Yours,
The Gamewheel/ Toywheel Team

Will Facebook’s f8 VR/Oculus Rift News Change the Ad Industry?

It’s no surprise that we’re all eagerly awaiting Mark’s latest VR announcement at the f8 keynote later today. Virtual Reality has been the year’s hottest topic, being prominently presented at both SXSW 2016 and GDC 2016. Fortune and AdWeek both agree that Facebook’s latest Oculus Rift news will certainly change the ad industry. The mega hype surrounding the latest VR devices’ releases is a clear indication of both industry and public demand. Samsung’s bold move to bet big on VR with their Galaxy S7 and S7 edge contributed to further fanning the flames. Rumors circulating at SXSW this year, indicate that Samsung invested over $200 Million in their VR marketing campaign. This huge budget was set to enable the distribution of a free Gear VR headset along with the purchase of the newest Galaxy phone. Even Mark Zuckerberg made an appearance at the launch event of Samsung’s new flagship, further indicating that VR is a hype that cannot be ignored.

Headset Sales Prediction by Jesse Schell

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Jesse Schell, of Schell Games, forecasts in his talk at GDC that by 2017, 32 million mobile VR headsets would’ve been purchased. His projections indicate that VR headsets sales would double every year, reaching the 2 Billion mark, as early as 2023 (he differentiates between Gamer VR and consumer devices, which he calls Mobile VR). Brands will sponsor VR native-content, leaving ample opportunities for product placement and unintrusive ad forms. He predicts that a large portion of VR videos will focus on concerts, big brand launches and events. Some ads will probably incorporate game-like elements, whilst others will have Reality TV show and 3D movie appeal. Jesse also predicts that an entirely new game genre will crop up by the end of 2018.

A lot of prominent brands and ad agencies have already embraced the emerging trend. The newly created content is truly remarkable. Just look at the Gifs below for a small taste of the delicious (and near) future or check out the astonishing VR content from platforms like Vrse or Littlstar.

Disney World Resort
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AT&T

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Despite all the advancements, VR storytelling is still a challenge for creatives. Our CEO Evgeni met Littlstar’s President Ben Nunez after the VR Storytelling panel at the German Haus during this year’s SXSW conference. Ben, a prominent VR veteran, revealed that although services like Littlstar are available on every mobile device, the technology is currently developing at such a fast-pace that it presents lots of opportunities for creative content creators though “both linear and non-linear storytelling in VR/360 is still a challenge. But we’re very confident content creators will figure out.” Therefore, collaborations with VR technology providers and experts with the aim of creating innovative and engaging linear and non-linear storytelling projects are rather difficult.

VR Creation and Analysis Tools

To encourage even more VR content, both Facebook and Google have published documents detailing how to create 360-degree ads on Facebook News Feed and Google AdWords (backend). However, the efficiency and performance capabilities of 360-degree ads is still unclear.
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Since marketing is all about measuring and analysing ad performance, Startups like Retinad and Immserv have pioneered the VR analytics platforms. One of their more impressive tools is a heatmap that analyzes a user’s browsing, navigation and purchasing activities (Demo of Retinad). More companies will most certainly follow suit.

Facebook’s biggest competitor in this new arena is Google. 70% of Google’s valuation is based on it’s search ads business with ‘mobile search’ acting as the leading market driver. Google and Alphabet have positioned Youtube as a main player and venue for VR content on the web, ensuring its compatibility with all headsets and smartphones currently on the market. Those incredible VR ads  from Boursin and Audi illustrate how Youtube can be utilized to usher in this new and exciting ad era. Google has also reportedly invested more than $500 million on AR/VR startup Magic Leap, which has literally (via virtual means) been making a big splash with its hyper-realistic products.  

Will VR Change The World Of Advertising?

The general public’s outcry and backlash against intrusive ads (represented by the rise of AdBlocking) has cost the advertising industry reportedly billions. 360-degree ads (optimized for VR headsets) offer a truly engaging and interactive user experience that will positively reshape consumer perception, attitude and behavior towards static video ads. Brace yourselves, the ad industry is making a big comeback all thanks to the combined double-threat effect of 360-degree videos and VR headsets!

Here are some more innovative ads to inspire you to get busy and up your ad game this Monday! Keep scrolling to uncover our expert opinion on this latest trend.

Corona

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Samsung

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Nescafe

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Our Prediction – AR “Not VR” Will Change the World

Because “AR/VR” is often used in the same context, their differences are often misunderstood. VR technology is very different from AR technology. While VR is “detaching” people from the real world by showing them engaging content, AR is more advanced technology which connects both – virtual and physical world through an immersive experience. We believe that AR is the future, because the augmentation of human abilities through technology is not just a technical breakthrough but rather the next step in human evolution. It is also the only design pattern that will make people universally profit from current AR/VR technology development.
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Raconteur provides a really handy overview of the differences:

Virtual reality Augmented reality
How it works Immerses the wearer in a 360-degree, 3D-environment; spatial sound and motion-tracking optional Overlays 3D graphics on to the wearer’s view of the real-world environment
The gear to watch out for Oculus Rift, Samsung Gear VR, Google Cardboard, HTC Vive, Sony Project Morpheus Google Glass 2, Microsoft HoloLens, Sony SmartEyeglass, Recon Jet, Magic Leap, Vuzix M100, ODG R-7
Main benefits Transports the wearer to another environment; low-cost mobile VR with innovative accessories Wearer remains engaged in the real world and keeps hands free; glasses rather than headset
Main hurdles Simulation sickness and input; needs apps, experiences and games ready for launch Small field of view, expensive hardware, fashion form factor required and needs apps/games
Biggest deals Facebook paid $2 billion (£1.3 billion) for Oculus VR in 2014 Magic Leap raised $542 million (£346 million) from Google, Qualcomm and others in 2014

In our view, VR is just one simplified pre-manifestation of AR, which is bound to become a mainstream medium as soon as mobile devices and camera performance allow it. Based on our belief in free play and an imminent AR future, we’ve pioneered AR Toys with Toywheel in the beginning of 2014. Since then, we have reached over 150.000 downloads and have been featured by Apple globally multiple times. Over the last few months we’ve seen the app numbers grow organically, highlighting increased interest in AR/VR. Although, we also experienced major hurdles in getting the user experience perfect due to notorious hardware limitations, we’re confident that future headsets are going to revolutionize the user experience, yet again.

We believe that platforms like Microsoft HoloLens as well as Google’s MagicLeap are what will truly change the world. Microsoft has already started shipping $3K HoloLens developers kits on the 30th of March. You could even apply for one now.

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Until this AR technology is ready for the market, advertisers are well advised to start using 360-degree videos and VR toys/games as well as the much underestimated sensor-driven games, which can be easily used on every mobile device currently on the market. A great example of the power of sensor-driven games is this little Marble Maze Game experience (It’s easy – you just need to tilt the mobile device to put the sphere in the whole). Incredible, right? As soon as there is a standard in AR/VR advertising, which is compatible with a mainstream audience, you can be sure that Gamewheel will be the first to add it to our platform. Until then, please contact Toywheel, our VR/AR full-service creative studio if you’re interested in pushing the envelope and on being at the forefront of this revolution. 

Summarizing, here are our 5 take aways

  1. VR device releases have been the biggest hype at all major tech events this year
  2. Facebook’s f8 will most certainly build on the hype with Oculus Rift news
  3. 360-Degree VR Storytelling is bound to reshape Ad Industry
  4. We believe that VR will revive the ad industry but AR will change the world
  5. Toywheel is pioneering AR/VR games with a clear future vision
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