XR tipping point ‘finally coming’, says report

Mar 27, 2022 at 09:01 am by admin


Meta has sponsored an INMA report on opportunities in extended reality and the metaverse that gave it its new name.

The report, The Opportunities and Blueprint of XR for Media, is based on a recent six-part masterclass series, and is being made available free as a result of Meta’s sponsorship.

Author Jodie Hopperton, who is INMA’s product initiative lead, delivers a blueprint for newsmedia companies on how to navigate the new ‘reality’ landscape.

The report sets the scene for XR, and discusses the tools and technologies needed to get started, the use of augmented (AR) and virtual reality (VR) for news, and XR’s commercial opportunities of XR. Finally there’s an explanation of what the metaverse is.

Contributors include storytelling innovation executive Laura Hertzfeld, University of Southern California professor of professional practice Robert Hernandez, and Targo co-founder and VR director Chloe Rochereuil. Others include XR executive producer Zillah Watson, Gannett | USA Today senior director of emerging tech Raymond Soto, and Stephen Shaw, global business development director at Iconic Engine.

Hopperton says that as hardware and technology that allow readers to move between screens and glasses continue to become cheaper, more readers will have access to immersive experiences, allowing media companies to give readers much more context at one time.

The report explains XR’s specific benefits and newsmedia-related opportunities, and how to it to readers. Specific tools media companies can use can cost less than an iPhone in some cases.

She also urges media companies to give platforms such as Snapchat “another look”, and that “the story matters more than the platform”.

“After a false start for news organisations experimenting with VR in 2015, the tipping point is finally coming,” she says. “We don’t yet know what the metaverse will look like, but we do know that AR is already built into most social platforms and VR headset sales are increasing dramatically.”

Click here to download the report (PDF)

Sections: Digital business

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