Commercial progress doesn’t stop at virtual reality either. Facebook is testing which ads to play in Oculus VR headsets. Fortunately, what would we do in a virtual world without ads? How do we know what we are … uh, means that we want to buy something?
Facebook began testing ads on the Oculus mobile app last month and is now taking it a step further. Advertisement within a VR headset will be tested for the first time in ‘Blaston’ by Resolution Games. After that, the advertisement should spread to the following apps “in the coming weeks” – somewhat like a virus. I also don’t know why this comparison comes into my head.
On the blog or memo From Oculus you can see what everything should look like in the virtual space:
It looks like players can tag an ad to click or save it for later. The drop-down menu allows you to report or hide the advertisement in question and gives you access to user settings.
According to Facebook, ads coming to Oculus must comply with its data protection guidelines. And there’s at least a small glimmer of hope: targeted ads in messaging apps won’t interrupt you.
Not that we have to see things like “Hi Sandra, I baked potatoes today. Hey, I wanted to ask you something important…” Oops, sorry Sandra, you have to hear first, what a great special package now it’s been down for awhile. Mood killer.
Motion data and audio recordings should also not be used for advertising purposes.
However, it looks different with data from your Facebook profiles, a Facebook spokesperson said the edge.
The system will also know if you have viewed, installed or activated content, subscribed to an Oculus app, added an app to your cart or wishlist, whether you made a purchase or purchased an app on the Oculus platform and finally whether you watched an ad, moved or Save it or tap it inside a third-party app.”
Facebook argues that in-app advertising in a VR headset is an additional revenue stream for developers. A transparent account of how costs are apportioned is still missing.
The official announcement reads: “Our primary focus at Facebook Reality Labs (FRL) is to get more people into virtual reality, improve customer experience, and advance our augmented reality initiatives for the long-term.”
“We are also exploring new ways for developers to generate revenue – and this is an important part of making sure we create a self-sustaining platform that can support a variety of business models that open up new types of content and audiences as well.” It helps us keep innovative AR/VR devices within reach of more people.”
If the test is successful, Facebook will “provide more details about when ads will be more widely available on the Oculus platform and in the Oculus mobile app.”
