Hello World. Have You Tried Virtual Reality?

Published Feb 2, 2018

About 18 months ago, a high-school buddy of mine invited me over to try out Virtual Reality for the first time. He had a Samsung Gear VR rig, and he insisted I just had to try it.

I knew about Virtual Reality, but I wasn’t sold on it. I also hadn’t tried it yet.

On that Sunday early afternoon, I still remember Jeff having me stand next to a chair, handing me the headset to put on, and then flying in some headphones. He instructed me to turn around and use the chair to stabilize myself. For the next 45 minutes, I was in a trance, purring out oooo’s and awwwwww’s every few minutes.

Jeff had introduced me to Land’s End, a puzzle game. You go around this beautiful island by using a focal point to move through the game like Google Street View. The game was designed by the creators of the award-winning Monument Valley, and I had a blast.

Looking back, it’s my first experience with VR that still has me excited for the future. Which makes it even better that Jeff decided to come along for this ride as I build out a team to take on a big opportunity.

I’ve been simmering on this realization ever since my first VR experience: Virtual Reality is going to change everything. In the future.

Today, however, it seems like the tech (hardware and software) is a few years away from truly removing all the cords, ditching the external computer (Magic Leap has a beautiful concept), and creating a truly one-of-kind productivity experience for business in addition to gaming and other spaces.

eTech Rentals is being built to introduce and expand upon virtual reality experiences for people who love virtual reality or are using it for their first time. As we explore more ways to make VR useful, we will expand our offerings, and this blog is likely going to be the first place we mention it.

We offer affordable ways for anyone to experience virtual reality ($25/day), starting with the Samsung Gear VR & Galaxy S7 rig along with the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive (plus optional computer). Just give us a call 415-735-1345, and we’ll be happy to help you out.

This was my first week working on eTech Rentals Full-Time. Woohoo!

I didn’t know what to expect. I spent some time getting my home office space set (my kitchen table, wall-mounted whiteboard, and a small business printer), which is now fairly comfortable. I found myself doing a lot of whiteboarding and iterating on sales campaigns. As a new bootstrapped business looking to gain traction, sales are a huge focus along with a best-in-class product and an outstanding customer experience.

This week we launched our Free Weekly Virtual Reality Demo offer. Every week, one winner will receive a free virtual reality event package. Please see the page to learn how to sign-up along with the rules.

These events should be a blast. We’ll bring a few rigs so that you and your friends / co-workers can play a handful of awesome games and view several incredible videos. You’ll experience what we offer, and perhaps realize that these would make a great addition to your break room for a week or longer.

While we’ll only be offering one demo for free each week, you can book your own Virtual Reality Birthday Party, Happy Hour, Corporate Event or Party anytime by calling us (415-735-1345).

Until next time…

Elliot Koss
Founder
eTech Rentals