In a Rising Tide of Virtual Reality, Find the Right Platform for your Business

Anyone who’s been on the Q1 trade show circuit knows one thing: the time for virtual reality is now. CES, Mobile World Congress, and the Game Developer Conference were all dominated by major manufacturers and scrappy upstarts introducing virtual reality headsets at all price points, all the way down to Google’s DIY Cardboard Kit. This means that, like it or not, marketers across a variety of industries who want to stay ahead of the curve need to put virtual reality to work for them.

At Matterport, we’ve focused on meeting the needs of real estate brokers, agents, photographers, and marketers, because they immediately understand the value of virtually transporting their buyers to a property to drive the discovery and purchasing process.

In a recent blog post, Steve Barnes, a content producer for major luxury travel brands and Matterport 3D scan provider with Barnes Creative Studios, outlines his three major three considerations when choosing a 3D media platform for his high-end travel content:

Processing Time

The first is processing time - a few hours with Matterport, versus days or weeks with other 3D model platforms. This means your scans are ready right away.

Freedom

Some platforms, like Google Business View, restrict the types of properties you’re allowed to scan. Conversely, owners of Matterport cameras are free to scan any space for which they have access and permission from the owner.

The Virtual Reality Future

Barnes thinks the biggest difference is in the future - with virtual reality. “You will want to be in the virtual reality space if you are going to be competitive in the hotel and multifamily marketing space,” he says.

Because Matterport models comprise a complete three-dimensional representation of a space (not just flat panoramic images), the possibilities are endless. Our models can be imported into virtual reality platforms like Gear VR to create a totally immersive, interactive experience. (You can already experience this in our demo app, available now on the Samsung Gear VR app store.)

To get the full picture of why Steve prefers Matterport - and what you should keep in mind when choosing a 3D media platform - read his in-depth blog post here.

So what do you think?  Which virtual reality and 3D tools are you most excited about? Have you used Google Business View or other platforms? What are the most important considerations for your business?

Go Deeper with these Suggested Articles

To read Steve Barnes’ complete analysis of the differences between Matterport’s 3D media platform and Google Business View, visit his blog here.

Wareable gives you an overview of the VR headsets hitting the market this year.

Datamation identifies four industries where virtual reality is having a huge impact.

Kill Screen analyzes the rise and fall of virtual reality in the 1990s.

Inman News shows real estate agents how easy 3D scanning can be.