Each week we collate ‘Five Things You Should Have Read This Week’ – a summation of the tastiest tech stories from the past seven days. From disruptive apps to valuable stats, it’s a weekly feast of what’s most exciting and interesting in the tech world. It’s too good to keep just to ourselves, so for your reading and learning enjoyment we bring it to you here each week…
It’s safe to say that barely a week goes by without new VR news and this week is no different, with Facebook revealing its first social VR experience and Sony’s VR headset hitting the market tomorrow. Speaking of new products, Google has revealed plans to launch a new Android phone and in the world of social media, Snapchat is upgrading its ad game once again, while the NFL is downgrading its social live streaming. Read on for full updates.
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Facebook Shows Off Its Plans For Social VR With Zuckerberg Live
Facebook demonstrated its first public crack at social virtual reality at an event held last Thursday. The virtual reality experience, powered by Oculus, made use of Facebook’s social layer and allowed individuals on the platform to connect through animated avatars in a shared space.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
Facebook invested $2 billion in VR with the purchase of Oculus, and continues to pour money into the space. Zuckerberg believes that VR has tremendous potential, especially as a tool for communication, as evidenced by his participation in last week’s keynote. The keynote itself showed that VR can make conversation, otherwise held over video conference, more like the real thing.
WHY DOES IT MATTER?
If VR is to scale, it’s going to do it by being more than a gaming platform. Storytelling will help fill a content gap as new devices come to market, but the social layer is key to making it a success. Facebook, with a billion people signed-up for their service, have the backbone to build this on.
More: Facebook, Arstechnica
Sony’s VR Headset Goes On Sale Thursday – Is It The Headset To Beat?
Sony’s VR headset, designed for use with Playstation 4, hits the market this week in the United States. The peripheral, which comes coupled with a camera and motion controllers for $499, is arguably the cheapest way into high end VR. Early reviews suggest it’s a decent product fit for regular use, even if its display and motion controls are weaker than rivals like the Oculus and HTC Vive.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
While content – games, storytelling, and social – is one part of the VR scaling story, the other is hardware. It’s key the product becomes more affordable, otherwise there won’t be a demand for content, and the overall market will not grow. So the introduction of the Playstation VR, halfway through the Playstation 4 lifecycle, offers an appropriately priced path for gamers to get into the market.
WHY DOES IT MATTER?
With the introduction of HTC Vive, the Oculus, and Playstation VR in 2016, there is legitimate reach now for VR content, even if it’s still a niche market. The three should continue to innovate and improve as the market scales, also retaining lower priced products making it easier for consumers to enter the market. Further, Google’s project Daydream debuts later this year, and that should help buy the now lagging mobile powered VR market.
More: The Verge
Google Announces Pixel And With It A Big Shift In Strategy
Last week, Google announced a new Android phone it has designed itself, called the Pixel. The Pixel is to be manufactured by HTC, and is a high end smartphone, utilising the company’s latest operating system and, most importantly, exclusively featuring its latest Google Assistant technology.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
Google has kind of, sort of, made a phone before, but this is different than the Nexus. The Nexus was in many ways designed to push the Android market upward, increase the quality of high end devices. The Pixel is meant to be the high end, and is a major shift in strategy for Google. It’s now saying with the dawn of the AI assistant era, it needs to sell hardware to maximise returns, according to Stratechery.
WHY DOES IT MATTER?
Google has, throughout its history, relied on reach and made its money by selling ads against that scale. But search ads are becoming less valuable, because virtual assistants skip the search and take you directly to the answers. Google’s got great AI tech, but not a means to sell it to you at a premium. Now with Pixel, they have a high-end mobile device that they can make a margin on. Whether the shift works, remains to be seen, as it’s not just about consumer reaction, but company culture too.
More: Stratechery
NFL Attempts To Roll Back The Clock, Tells Teams No Live Streaming Or Reaction Gifs During Games
The NFL has announced new social media policies for teams intended to curb their use of live streaming apps immediately before, during, and immediately after games. The limitations also extend to reaction gifs shared in games by teams using footage from the actual game.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
This seems insane and backwards. The culture of the NFL, like most televised sports these days, is one that’s shared in game. Whether it’s fans or publications, comment, debate, and creation happens in real time during the game. To tell teams they can’t be a part of it doesn’t help the NFL protect control, it prevents their teams from having a voice.
WHY DOES IT MATTER?
It’s a reminder that while we may get how internet culture is created and shared, there are still organisations too concerned about protecting traditional rights ownership positions. Leagues that push forward here will be more successful as games are watched as much on TV as the second screen, if not more.
More: ESPN, The Verge
Snapchat Plots $25 Billion IPO, Launches Ad API, And Downgrades Publishers Place On The Platform
Snapchat is plotting an initial public offering valuing the company at $25 billion, according to the Wall Street Journal. The news comes at the same time the company launched its ad API, which allows ad serving companies to access the platform, and should lead to a spike in ad sales. Snapchat expects to make $1 billion in ad revenue in 2017, according to Recode.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
While all of this suggests Snapchat is gearing up for the IPO by juicing its ad sales numbers, some platform moves indicate otherwise. The company is downgrading the role of publishers in your feed, placing them below the stories of your friends. Publisher content remains a prime place for ads on the platform. Further, the company is no longer automatically stringing stories together, back-to-back. This was also a place ads were appearing.
WHY DOES IT MATTER?
While Snapchat is making it easier to buy ads on platform, it’s not making it easier for consumers to actually see them. The company will likely need to provide some clarity about where ads will appear in the wake of these changes.
More: Wall Street Journal, Recode, Recode