Today we’re pleased to announce a partnership with Amazon, the world’s largest retailer, which leverages Road to VR’s expertise to educate and inform those buying VR systems for the first time.
Amazon’s Virtual Reality Hub page connects customers to the latest and greatest VR tech. Prominently featured in the Hub is a selection of introductory content from Road to VR designed to bring people up to speed on the new and exciting medium of VR.
“It is important that we arm customers with information to understand new technologies and we are doing just that with the VR store through features like buying guides, product videos, as well as editorial content like articles from Road to VR,” says Eric Swanson, Category Leader, Amazon Video Games. “This helps customers find and discover the products from our large selection that best meet their needs.”
While we at Road to VR have been diligently tracking VR technology and the industry since 2011, for many, VR is completely new; 2016 will be the first time they get to try modern VR technology, or perhaps even hear about it. With VR being so new and so different, it’s tough for new users to make educated purchases without learning some basics.
Take Samsung’s Gear VR for instance: time and again we hear people say things like, “why should I spend $100 on Gear VR when there’s other smartphone headsets that look just like it for much less?” What appear to be similar products actually provide vastly different experiences. One is compatible with any modern smartphone while the other only works with with a certain subset of Samsung smartphones (and still that compatibility varies depending upon which version of the headset you’re looking at).
And that’s why Amazon chose to bring Road to VR’s expert insight to their customers through the Virtual Reality Hub. The ongoing relationship between the companies aims to build consumer knowledge so that people can make informed purchases in this exciting and evolving field.
Beyond consumer-facing insights, Road to VR’s just-released 2016 Virtual Reality Industry Report, co-authored with Greenlight VR, takes a detailed look at the development of the VR industry and is designed to inform forward-looking strategic decisions.