Earlier this month I attended a Virtual Reality meetup in Dallas. It was held at the Groove Jones co-working space in downtown. The event turned out to be a huge hit. Over 120 developers, designers, and technology enthusiasts attended. It was amazing. The experience started me thinking about ways that Virtual Reality can be monetized. This is a list of ideas for making money from Virtual Reality.1. HeadsetsThere are a handful of manufacturers currently making Virtual Reality headsets.These range from the high dollar Oculus and HTC Vive headsets, to the more affordable Samsung Gear kits. If Virtual Reality technology follows the trend of personal computers then the technology will become commoditized. At that point the technology will be open for any number of companies to build their own generic headsets. Specifically, there might be niche markets for headsets customized to gamers' preferences.2. Gaming PC'sHigh-performance Virtual Reality headsets, such as the Oculus and Vive, require a powerful personal computer to run them. There may be a market for personal computers which are customized to power virtual reality headsets. Think about how Alienware built an entire brand around PC gaming. There could be one or more brands of PC's built specifically for Virtual Reality uses.3. PeripheralsThe Virtual Reality experience depends on more than just the headset.There are motion sensors for detecting the player's movements. An example of a motion sensor is the HTC Base Station. There are hand controllers such as the Oculus Touch or the HTC Controller. There are also numerous controllers compatible with the Gear VR. The company Razer offers a series of "gaming" mice for PC gaming. In the same vein as Razer, there is an opportunity for companies to make custom "VR" controllers. Finally there is an entire range of products which could cater to the way that a person moves. These might be 360 treadmills, special chairs, or other equipment designed to let a person experience Virtual Reality safely and comfortably.4. AppsLike any other hardware system, Virtual Reality needs software to make it useful. Perhaps the biggest opportunity to monetize Virtual Reality is in apps.Games - Major game studios and independent developers alike are rushing to churning out Virtual Reality games. Right now the medium is in its infancy as developers learn what does and doesn't work. That means there is opportunity for independent studios to compete.Television - Hit TV shows have adopted limited Virtual Reality as a way to bring in more viewers. Examples include USA's Mr. Robot, Netflix's Stranger Things, and SyFy's The Expanse. It will not be long before TV studios start making fully immersive experiences for Virtual Reality,Education - Online classes are nothing new. Neither are simulators. However the ability to put someone in a virtual world will open up a whole new dimension to education.Tourism / Art - Digitally scanning tourist destinations and art into a Virtual Reality experience could be revolutionary. The Louvre museum in Paris gets 9.3 million visitors per year. What if anyone could experience the treasures of the museum from anywhere in the world (without the cost of a plane ticket)? Opening up cultural treasures to tourists around the world could be a huge business.5. Retail Stores / KiosksGameStop created an empire out of stores which sell games and related consoles. GameStop and similar retailers have already adopted Virtual Reality into their product lines. That doesn't mean that niche retailers specializing in Virtual Reality can't get into the market though. Virtual Reality dedicated kiosks are already starting to pop up in certain shopping malls.6. Media (Magazines, News websites, YouTube channels)PC Gamer's business model is centered around a gaming focused magazine.Dozens of websites and internet video channels are also dedicated to PC or console gaming. Gaming is only part of the potential of Virtual Reality though.There is enormous opportunity for specialty media ventures dedicated to Virtual Reality.I hope that you found this article interesting. If you enjoyed it, then please check out my other articles at http://www.MattNutsch.com/blog.
