Intro to the Metaverse

Hire Intelligence have hired Virtual Reality equipment since 2015. In that time we have seen some wonderful concepts, and products. We’ve also seen a lot of confusion about the benefits of Virtual Reality / Augmented Reality / Extended Reality, the Metaverse and spatial computing.

We understand the benefits of this technology, and following requests, we now offer Intro to the Metaverse workshops. We can supply content, hardware and support for some straightforward demonstration days. 

What is Intro to the Metaverse? 

‘Intro to the Metaverse’ is an introductory workshop.

Run by us and co-designed with you to give your business and employees an overview of how virtual reality is being used at the moment, where it’s going in the very near future and the myriad of benefits it presents to businesses looking to leverage the technology.

How it works

One of our technicians will come to your offices with enough VR headsets and supporting devices to give everyone their first VR experience!

The workshop will be a brief intro to VR, the technology and examples of how businesses are leveraging this emerging technology to set themselves apart from their competition. 

1. Tech hardware pre-loaded with some agreed VR/Metaverse content. 
2. VR headsets for each attendee (and supporting devices to run the headsets. Such as touchscreens, laptops and/or iPad). 
3. The equipment will be as ‘ready to go’ as possible with content pre-loaded. 
4. Hire Intelligence can support these days with ‘how to’ video guides, or a friendly technician can be on-site too. 
5. Guided by our team or yours!
   The on-site technician can demonstrate different options, menus, and content on a big screen (streamed from one of the headsets), before letting each of your team try and explore options and experiences
6. If you don’t want on-site support, then one to two of your team can come to our premises ahead of your sessions and be trained to be a lead demonstrator.

Why should businesses care about the Metaverse? 

VR and AR experiences are emerging rapidly. Companies looking to set themselves apart from the competition are adopting VR for its ability to support core product offerings, engage customers with novel experiences and facilitate business activities both internally and externally. 

But why now? What’s been the catalyst for this change and why should VR be on the radar of your business?

Well, this is exactly what we’ve set out to answer. Starting at the top, here are a few factors behind the uprising of interest, enthusiasm and optimism for this emerging technology.  

1. Mainstream adoption

• With Apple launching their own headsets, VR is well on its way to mainstream adoption. 
• The proportion of consumers and purchasers who want to see 3D versions of products and functionalities is growing.
• Virtual online collaborative spaces and communities are growing fast.

2. Competitive advantage

• As consumers’ appetite and aptitude for VR content increases, companies looking to provide richer, more immersive experiences to their audience are quickly adopting VR and AR to separate themselves from their competition. 
• As an emerging technology, VR/AR devices are an easy way for businesses to provide novel experiences to their customers: new ways to experience their product, develop rapport and create an edge over their competition.

3. Increasing practical applications

• Training in VR is excellent, immersive, slick, accessible and proven to be more engaging and effective, with use cases including the training of surgeons, to bomb squad training.
•  360° experiences are being used in everything from Real Estate to Sport.
• Companies are using VR to provide immersive experiences remotely.  

4. Improved content creation:

• The number of companies equipped to create VR and 3D content is rapidly increasing. 
• Personal phones are now equipped with the ability to create 3D content. 

5. Improved usability

• The ease of use of the hardware has improved massively. Many headsets are now wireless and intuitive.
• Content libraries have built up to satisfy a huge range of use-cases.

We believe getting comfortable and confident with this technology would be a worthwhile investment. By renting from Hire Intelligence and leveraging our experience we can make this investment very cost-effective.

What can we experience?

You can choose from a wide range of experiences. There is a wide variety of content, but don’t worry… you’re used to that already on other devices.

In just the same way that on an iPad you can choose different apps or websites to:

1. Watch a video – from a downloaded file, or from YouTube.
2. Complete an online training course. 
3. Have a FaceTime call. 
4. Play a game on the screen.
5. Look at a 3D model of a product or building.

On a VR headset you can do all of the above – but sometimes with ‘360/3D advantages’. Here are similar examples but for headsets / virtual environments:

1. Watch a 360’ immersive video where you can turn in all directions to see footage.
2. Undertake an immersive ‘scenario’ training simulation course.
3. Attend a virtual meeting in a virtual space with 3D effects and objects
4. Play an immersive game or team building exercise 
5. Take a virtual tour, or manipulate a 3D model of a product or building.

The screen in a (VR) headset is closer to your eyes and controls are different, but the way you choose apps, and what you can do is not wildly different than other technology you’ve used before. It is just experienced in a different way. 

In fact the SAME ‘virtual meetings’ and ‘Virtual tours’ can be attended on a headset OR on a laptop or tablet – the experience is just more immersive if wearing the headset. As part of an ‘introduction’ to VR’ Hire Intelligence can demonstrate these differences, and attend the same virtual meeting on differing devices.

Talk to us about what you’d like to try/experience, and we’ll find an easy-to-access and intuitive version of what you describe. 

FAQs

Q. Is it scary? Will it be confusing?

No! As an end- user the experience of using VR is not more complex than getting to grips with other systems and hardware you’ve used before. Don’t be scared – you’ve got used to other devices in the past, and these ‘VR intro days’ will be pressure free, with support on hand.

Q. I’ve seen people dive into TV’s — how do I know this won’t happen to me?

While there have certainly been a few mishaps, these tend to occur when VR is being used in unsafe environments, where users and instructors haven’t taken the necessary precautions to avoid undesirable outcomes. This is not the case for our workshops or our instructors. Your safety is our priority and we will be taking every precaution to ensure we return you in the same condition you arrived in. We’ll start by removing any nearby TVs.

Implementing VR in your business

Following the Intro to the Metaverse workshop, you may be thinking to yourself, “I have an idea! But I’m not entirely sure where to start…” 

Excellent! We’re here to help. 

If you have an idea and it makes sense for your business, don’t hesitate to give us a call. We want to work with businesses who are pushing the envelope and want to help you take your first steps into VR. With over 10 years experience working in the space, with a team of expert technicians on hand, we’ve developed a list of preferred VR partners who specialise in various aspects of virtual reality content creation.

VR Partners:

• Virtual Tours: production and deployment
• VR Training: access to a huge library of scenarios
• Product Virtualisation: scanning and rendering products in 3D
• Bespoke simulations and tailored training: Designed, built and branded for your very specific procedures.

360 filming, Virtual Tours, and marketing showcases of those tours:

Our ‘Virtual’ Filming Partner is an innovative tech company specialising in intelligent photography solutions. Their offerings encompass a range of hardware to capture images – scanners, 3D cameras, drones etc. This hardware is used alongside AI-powered tools and services designed to automate photography workflows. With this hardware and software they can capture 360 detail of buildings, and processes. Catering for all industries, including e-commerce, real estate, and marketing, delivering cost-effective and scalable solutions to meet the growing demand for high-quality imagery in today’s digital landscape. The 3D imagery and models can be used for marketing showcases, creating virtual tours, or design/improvement discussions.

Virtual Reality Training – Licenses for a library of scenarios:

Our enterprise immersive learning partner, Immerse, offers a comprehensive suite of solutions, including a marketplace of ready-to-use VR training applications covering the most popular enterprise use cases across industries and an easy-to-use distribution and analytics platform to manage content and users and measure training efficacy, with available out-of-the-box integrations with any learning management systems.  Their customer base spans industries such as life sciences, manufacturing, natural resources, logistics, and more, enhancing the learner experience and boosting business impact. 

3D Product virtualisation:

Our partners’ platform enables manufacturers to market and demonstrate their products and services more effectively using 3D and Augmented Reality (AR) technology. This supports sales and marketing efforts especially when ‘demonstrating’ complex products. The virtual content can be shared on a headset, or on any screen – and thus used as part of a presentation in person, or ‘demonstrated’ to prospects remotely.

Bespoke Training & Simulations – designed, built and branded for your own very specific procedures:

Our partner employs designers, programmers, and transformation specialists. They can help build simulations to develop, test, and train your scenarios before releasing them into the real world.

They can also build (or recreate) detailed virtual environments to safely learn specific high-risk skills and operation.  During training in these detailed, immersive environments attendees can receive immediate feedback and performance-related data.

Enquire about the workshop

If the broad introduction to VR is of interest, or you’d like to learn any more about one of our specific partners, please do call one of our experienced team on 0208 749 9900, or quick on ‘get a quote’ and describe what you’d like to see involved in a demonstration and how many staff would be involved.

• 1 Day Workshop (5 hours)
• Co-designed and tailored to your business
• Headsets and software for all employees