Intel has recently been buying companies that deal with VR so it got us thinking about what they’ve got planned in the virtual world. Are they keeping quiet to cover a huge advance that will change how we experience new realities? We did some digging and found out what their play is, but first we need to cover why they haven’t been as forward thinking as many of their competitors when it comes to VR innovations.
The Cause of Slow Growth
There is no doubt that there is are many people out there who can go out and dump two grand on an entirely new machine just to experience VR. However, the average person usually saves up all year round to purchase a new console. Even further down are the people who wait until the preceding Black Friday event in order to finally purchase a console at a discounted price. The gaming industry works by targeting these types of individuals because there are far more of these people than there are of people who can just drop the monetary equivalent of a used car. So they’ve quiet because they weren’t going to win the market with so many other big time players in the mix, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t been eyeing the VR world.
The Average Sports Fan
With this in mind, Intel seems to be looking away from the gamer and on to the sports fan. Instead of attempting to tackle an already densely populated gaming industry, Intel is reaching into the sports world because it is a relatively technologically untapped market. Sure, they have cameras to watch games and electronic ordering of tickets but how much has sports “upgraded” since we began selling seats in a stadium?
The average price for a stadium ticket is a couple hundred dollars and even less if you choose to forego certain options. These people spend a lot of money at the games, before the games and in their daily fandom and Intel wants in on that by providing the ability to gain a look at the game like never before.
Intel is looking at this as both a profit and a benefit. Most of the games out right now rely on Intel’s processors for VR. Therefore, the more people who have access to VR the better, because that means people are more likely to purchase their cores. A sports fan who can’t go to the arena for a game would be able to go to the same game virtually and feel like they were actually there. Beyond just witnessing the game as fan thought, with this approach a fan would be able to stand in place of a player or looking at the game from different angles. This would feed a totally untapped element of sports fandom. Many of us play the sports we love. Some of us actually play the sports we love. None of us have ever been able to experience the sports we love in the eyes of the stars we idolize!
What does that mean for VR?
As I mentioned, this is both a profit and a benefit for Intel. The development for this project is massive and there are high chances that they will be able to adapt this technology into other fields of VR. While their short term goal is to service sports fans and gain profit, their long term goals are to reach the families of sports and seed the consumer support the VR industry needs right now.
Most of the customers Intel is trying to reach are the customers we’ve talked about before in buying a console whenever it comes out or at a discounted price. These individuals tend to spend their money on more “live” experiences. So, if they can finally get into the hands of the average consumer, then we’ll be able to see the VR industry explode.
