There is no question that VR is having a moment. With VR breaking into every digital media field, from sports to video games and major companies like Google and Apple steadily announcing VR hardware and platforms in development, it seems that VR has finally built up the momentum to proliferate that it lacked in the 80s. Everyone is talking about VR.
But with all the information out there on the metaverse, it can sometimes be tough to glean the useful, informed and relevant from the rest. These bloggers not only do an excellent job reporting on VR, covering recent news and industry trends, but take their analysis a step further, providing unique insight, education and advice to anyone looking to get involved in VR or improve their understanding of the emerging technology landscape.
Haptic.al is a curated blog featuring timely compilations of VR news. Founded by tech journalist and blogger Deniz Ergurel, this site’s newsletters cover everything from VR investment updates to the PokemonGO craze. Haptic.al is designed to “inform and inspire curiosity about virtual reality,” according to Ergurel, and “bring stories, ideas and insight for VR curious users and professionals” so they can “better understand the potential of virtual reality in their own sectors of interest.” The site also features in-depth interviews with many established members of the emerging tech industry in a variety of niches, from education to startups. This blog is a great place for industry regulars and casual consumers alike to learn about cool new experiences and stay up to date on the latest emerging technology developments.
Bicanic is a Medium regular, providing a unique insight on a range of topics in the emerging technology field. Bicanic poses questions about the details of the VR industry, and his analysis and case studies are especially useful for 360 content creators. For example, in one recent post, Bicanic addresses with wit and acumen the common industry issues of feeling the need to justify shooting in 360 and the role of UX (user experience) in VR storytelling. In another, he demonstrates the importance of composition and relative distance from the camera in 360 storytelling. He even troubleshoots common issues from time to time, like providing step by step instructions on a small but noticeable improvement of the Ricoh Theta S’s export quality. Bicanic’s posts are straightforward and informative and definitely useful for any content creator looking to work with 360.
Run by Robert Scoble, entrepreneur in residence at UploadVR, this blog hits a range of topics from the industry’s leading disrupters to spatial computing with insight, honesty and enough technical know-how that even seasoned industry professionals can learn something new. Before moving to UploadVR, Scoble spent seven years at Rackspace visiting innovation labs and startups as a futurist, learning about what technological innovation has in store and sharing his findings. Though posts are less frequent on Scobleizer than on some of the other blogs, the topics covered are diverse and each post provides in depth analysis and practical expertise. If you are looking to dive in to the technical aspects and niche markets of emerging technology, Scobleizer is a great place to start.
Host of the podcast Real Virtual Show and frequent medium poster, Probst is personable, eloquent and most importantly, very excited about VR. On her podcast, Probst sits down with VR professionals from every corner of the industry for a 30 to 60-minute conversation about an aspect of the VR landscape. The interviews are casual and full of interesting analysis, debate and speculation on everything from 360 animation to 3D human-computer interaction in VR.
CEO of native media company StoryUp and another Medium regular, Hill is actively creating content for VR. “For decades, we as journalists had used words and flat images to try to place people inside a story,” said Hill “and now there is actually the technology to allow viewers to step inside the story.” Her blogs reflect her knowledge and passion, often including write-ups covering the lessons learned while filming 360 on location. Anyone looking to break into 360 video will learn very quickly that the medium comes with its own unique set of problems, like overheating, battery life and synchronization, and every tip and trick counts. Hill has also written several blog posts addressing the rising issue of monetization in the VR industry and how brands can take advantage of native advertising in 360 experiences.
According to their website, Road to VR is the largest independent news publication dedicated to the consumer VR industry. The wealth of coverage and analysis is broken down by category and easily searched using keywords and topics, making the website not only information-rich, but user-friendly and easy to navigate.
Honorable Mentions:
Browse through the virtual reality tag on TechCrunch for a variety of breaking emerging tech news and informed expert commentary and analysis.
This site covers all the major elements of VR coverage, including recent events and announcements, experiences and hardware news. However, the website can be a little overwhelming and tough to navigate.
This site is mostly limited to reviews of VR demos and games, but it can help sift through the constantly growing number of VR experiences out there to find the best and most engaging content.
