The COVID-19 pandemic turned almost all business activities from in-person to remote. Using video conferences, as well as new technologies, such as AR and VR, businesses continued to operate. One of the things that proved extremely effective were the real estate virtual tours, enhanced by AR/VR features. In fact, they were so effective that virtual tours are set to be the norm in the commercial real estate sector in the future.
These are the findings of a report published by Resonai, a software company that develops solutions transforming physical spaces into smart digital environments. Some of the applications developed by Resonai help facility management and commercial real estate companies provide enhanced experiences to employees and customers.
Resonai Report: 90% of Real Estate Tours Will Be Virtual
In the survey “The State of Virtual Tours in Commercial Real Estate”, Resonai collected data from 300 commercial real estate professionals in July 2022. The survey focused on the use of real estate virtual tours during the pandemic and the plans to continue using them in the future.
The findings published in the real estate virtual tours report indicate that the commercial sector will not return to traditional property tours. Namely:
90% of commercial property tours will be virtual in the next 2 years;
90% of commercial realtors who used virtual real estate tours reported an increase in revenue;
86% of real estate companies generating between $50 and $500 million in revenue use virtual tours.
Real Estate Virtual Tours Improve Brand Perception
Using new technologies equals a better brand image. At least, this is one of the opinions of the real estate professionals who participated in the Resonai survey. In fact, 95% of them believe that virtual real estate tours help improve brand perception.
At the same time, these hi-tech remote tours help with prospect qualification. The survey found an 85% improvement in this respect, compared to in-person tours. Also, the prospects who took part in a virtual tour reported a superior viewing experience (92%). Overall, the use of tours enhanced by AR and VR helped real estate professionals work more efficiently and increase their revenues.
Large Companies Have Higher Virtual Tour Adoption Rates
According to the report, 86% of organizations generating between $50 million and $500 million, and 79% of those generating more than $500 million in revenue use real estate virtual tours. The adoption rate of virtual tours among companies with less than $50 million in revenue is lower (69%), though still noteworthy.
Source: Resonai survey “The State of Virtual Tours in Commercial Real Estate”
When it comes to differences between commercial real estate industry segments, the survey found that the real estate segment that’s making the most use of virtual tours is hospitality (93%), followed by industrial real estate (84%).
Source: Resonai survey “The State of Virtual Tours in Commercial Real Estate”
What Are the Barriers to Adoption?
Some real estate professionals stated that the companies they work for have not yet adopted real estate virtual tours. Moreover, there are no plans of doing so in the near future.
The main reasons for this attitude towards new tech in real estate are:
28% – lack of consideration;
18% – not necessary;
15% – no value to prospects;
15% – lack of resources.
Some respondents also stated that AR/VR technology is too complex to implement and use.
On the other hand, the report identified marketing improvement, better viewing experience, the ability to offer remote building tours, and building a positive brand image as the most important benefits that drive the adoption of real estate virtual tours.
Source: Resonai survey “The State of Virtual Tours in Commercial Real Estate”
How AR/VR Can Enhance Real Estate Tours
The findings of the Resonai report indicate that the commercial real estate industry is already familiar with AR/VR technology and plans to continue using it as one of the main tools. Real estate virtual tours offer benefits both for realtors and for prospects.
Some of these benefits are:
Ability to create custom property presentations by adding AR content onto real-world environments;
Flexibility – virtual real estate tours can be delivered by desktop, laptop, mobile phone, or tablet;
Live or recorded – depending on the prospect’s schedule, they can participate in a real-time tour or watch a recorded tour;
Ability to visualize work in progress using VR models.
Attack on Titan is one of those IPs that people have long asked to see in VR… and now they’ll finally get their wish. Today it was announced that UNIVRS is developing the first official Attack on Titan VR game for home headsets, Attack on Titan VR: Unbreakable.
Announced today during Upload VR’s 2022 Winter Showcase, Attack on Titan VR: Unbreakable is in development and set for a release in Summer 2023 on Quest 2. Developer Univrs, the studio most recently behind Little Witch Academia: VR Broom Racing, released a teaser for the project which unfortunately doesn’t give us any clue at how the game will look or play.
Although the studio’s experience with Little Witch Academia VR might not seem like it would translate to the intense and gory nature of an Attack on Titan game, the studio prides itself on its “unique anti-motion sickness technology,” which it says makes broom racing in the prior game very comfortable in VR despite high speeds.
If you know Attack on Titan then you’ll know that characters in the universe use the so-called ‘omni-directional mobility gear’ to zip around and outmaneuver their massive foes. Surely no Attack on Titan game would be complete without it, and that’s where Univrs’ experience with high speed VR gameplay might actually come in very handy.
And while Attack on Titan VR: Unbreakable is confirmed to launch on Quest 2 this coming Summer, it’s not clear whether the game will make it to SteamVR (as prior titles from the developer have).
Vertigo 2 has been on our radar thanks to its slick unique world and slick-looking weaponry. While we still have a little longer to wait before we’ll get to play it, today the studio announced an early 2023 release alongside a fresh look at gameplay.
Vertigo 2 has been anticipated ever since the original Vertigo (2016) and its refinement Vertigo Remastered (2020) brought rich physics-driven weapons and interactions to PC VR headsets. Developer Zach Tsiakalis-Brown has been giving glimpses of the sequel over the last two years, but only now has he set a release date for March 30th, 2023.
Vertigo 2 looks significantly more ambitious than its predecessor, with new weapons, enemies, and characters, all brought together with an even more refined and art direction than its predecessors. Here’s the pitch from the game’s Steam page:
Vertigo 2 is a single-player adventure built from the ground up as a game for high-end VR.
Deep underground in the reaches of Quantum Reactor VII, you awake to finish your journey home. No closer to your goal than when you first arrived, you must count on the help of the mysteriously familiar stranger who saved your life. On your way towards the center of the reactor, you will have to face bizarre alien flora and fauna leaking from other universes – and deadly android security forces whose job is to purge the Reactor of all life. As you try to determine who to trust, sinister forces lurk just out of sight.
With a branching story hinging on key decisions, there’s no telling what you’ll encounter in this absurd world. The only certainty is that there’s danger around every corner.
Vertigo 2 would look promising in its own right, but I’ve got to say I’m even more impressed considering this is purpotedly the sole work of developer Zach Tsiakalis-Brown. Can the game stand up to this tasty looking trailer? We’ll be looking forward to finding out out next year.
The road to fully autonomous vehicles is long and marred by technological challenges, from the cost of developing the technology and commercial expansion, all the way through public acceptance and safety concerns. And that’s if people even want to give up driving in the first place. But there’s something that can help this transition, that can bridge the divide between the autonomous believers and self-driving sceptics: remote-controlled vehicles. And no, we’re not talking about toy cars, these are real, adult-sized, remotely-driven automobiles. In this piece, I’m going to explain how they work, the commercial and technological implications, and if they…
Meta’s v47 software update for the Quest platform is packed with quality-of-life features that look to improve the user experience across Quest Pro and Quest 2, offering things like better media sync, an avatar mirror, and the ability to directly gift apps from your wishlist to friends and family. More importantly, Quest Pro is finally getting mixed reality passthrough recording in v47, and unlocking Quest Pro controller support for Quest 2.
First, here’s a look at the Quest Pro specific stuff, followed by updates affecting the whole Quest platform.
Quest Pro Updates
Meta is looking to make good use of the extra horsepower in Quest Pro, as it’s set to gradually rollout background audio playback as an experimental feature, which will let you listen to music and podcasts Browser as well as Progressive Web Applications (PWAs), which include things like 2D apps like Instagram, Facebook, and Spike, but also WebXR-based stuff too.
Not being able to record mixed reality footage was a bit of a letdown when Quest Pro launched back in late October, but now Meta says v47 will soon (again, gradual rollout) let you capture photos and videos while using mixed reality in passthrough mode. Here’s a look at how you can easily transition from VR to passthrough MR during the same recording:
Quest-wide Updates
Speaking of video capture, Meta is making it easier to capture video and images on Quest with the addition of capture controller shortcuts. Once you have v47 in-hand, you’ll be able to capture images by holding the Oculus button down and pulling the right controller trigger. To record video, hold the Oculus button and long-hold the right controller trigger.
And syncing media is supposed to be a better experience too, as Meta says it’s improving how you view, edit and share your photos and videos you capture in VR. We’re hoping the new syncing method is faster and more reliable than the previous, which promised to automatically sync to the Oculus app, but often times left us waiting for days for images and video to show up.
Meta is also unlocking Quest Pro Touch controller compatibility with Quest 2 in v47. Quest Pro’s controller is the company’s first inside-out tracked controllers due to the inclusion of its own camera sensors. That means a wider range of motion in-game since you don’t need direct line of sight between the headset and controllers.
Quest 2 Controller (top), Quest Pro Controller (bottom) | Photo by Road to VR
Many social VR apps have mirrors for easier avatar management, and now Quest will too. The v47 update lets you view and edit your avatar with a new mirror added to Home. This is set to roll out gradually and will be initially available in four environments: Desert Terrace, Space Station, Winter Lodge, and Cascadia.
Here’s a couple more goodies being added in v47:
Universal Menu Customization – You can start, find, and jump into a multiplayer session with your friends directly from the home screen. You’ll be able to pin and unpin apps from your library to your Universal Menu for quicker access to apps.
Revamped device management screen – Makes it easier to know when your headset needs to be charged.
Shareable Wishlists – Make your app wishlist public and send a link to friends and family. Modify your wishlist from the Store tab on your headset or the Meta Quest mobile app. Friends and family will be able to directly gift apps from your wishlist.
Meta Quest Digital Gift Cards – Redeemable for any app or game in the Meta Quest Store.
