Target Quietly Opens Concept Store For the Future of Gaming (protocol.com) 17
Target quietly soft-launched a new concept store in downtown San Francisco a few days ago: The Game Room lets people try out Magic Leap and Oculus Quest headsets, gaming PCs and mobile gaming rigs. It's an obvious play to make Target look hip to San Francisco's tech-savvy clientele, but it's also indicative of bigger industry changes. From a report: Missing from the store are the typical gaming fodder you'd find in your neighborhood Target. No physical discs or accessories for current-generation consoles. Instead, the Game Room is all about the future of gaming, from phones hooked up to Google's cloud gaming service Stadia to a corner that explains Apple Arcade and Google Play Pass to multiple VR/AR areas. You can buy some, but not all, of the items on display. (Target doesn't currently sell the Magic Leap headset, for instance.)
The store is largely a test of how Target can capitalize on the growing interest in gaming even as the huge amount of money being spent by gamers is increasingly on digital goods and services not sold in stores. It also shows what a big retailer like Target considers the cool fun new thing right now. Until recently the space housed the Target Open House: a display-room for the Internet of Things, which first opened in 2015, to show off products like smart speakers and connected doorbells. It was meant to be a splashy, experiment space to demonstrate how a smart home actually works, back when that seemed exciting.
The store is largely a test of how Target can capitalize on the growing interest in gaming even as the huge amount of money being spent by gamers is increasingly on digital goods and services not sold in stores. It also shows what a big retailer like Target considers the cool fun new thing right now. Until recently the space housed the Target Open House: a display-room for the Internet of Things, which first opened in 2015, to show off products like smart speakers and connected doorbells. It was meant to be a splashy, experiment space to demonstrate how a smart home actually works, back when that seemed exciting.
Bring a VR Mask (Score:2)
If you are at all concerned about viruses, for sure bring wipes and your own VR Mask [amazon.com] before trying out a VR system that countless others will have touched and used before you!
This is great advice, even if Coronavirus was not a thing. It could be the place provides those, some VR demos do think to provide those for all people using the system. But bring your own just in case.
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If you are at all concerned about viruses, for sure bring wipes and your own VR Mask [amazon.com] before trying out a VR system that countless others will have touched and used before you! This is great advice, even if Coronavirus was not a thing.
Ahhh, horseshit. George Carlin had a routine about this some 30 years ago. Never use those wipes at grocery stores before touching a cart, and I don't remember all else. His point, and one that I follow, is that the more germs you expose your immune system to the stronger it gets.
Went to an airshow last summer, they had a trailer showing a 3D "join the military" propaganda movie playing. It was great, not great enough to make me join (being 61 probably influenced my decision), but what really got me
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While I completely agree with you, a big fan of Carlin's no nonsense comedy, he was a) making a funny comedic point about what we now cal "snowflakes" back int he 1990s and b) talking about general germs and nasties up to anything like a common cold. Influenza viruses are a different class act altogther, you might fight them off for a little longer with a strong immune system.
One thing you do by washing your hands and keeping a reasonable hygiene, which by the way everyone should be doing anyway on a daily
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I bought a case of soup 2 weeks ago. Not because I'm afraid of the virus, because I'm afraid of idiots panicing and clearing the shelves.
Good thing you're not one of those idiots!
Not sure if being able to test these sells more (Score:2)
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I for one can say that I was more excited about the possibilities of VR systems before I tried (several of) them.
For me it was the opposite, after I tried the Oculus and the Vive, I liked VR enough that I bought a PSVR system.
I also liked the Void experiences quite a bit, wish you could replicate some of that at home easier...
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Yea but this time around it might have actually got it if the Occulus people had listened to me instead of Zuckerberg.
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It's taken decades to realize that people really don't like it.
We didn't like 3D TV's either; glad they got sick of sticking those down our necks.
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The problem is that 'gaming' is often laying back in a comfortable couch with a nice big screen and a controller+snacks at hand. Or taking out a cell phone and playing Angry Birds on a long boring commute. In neither situation would anybody want any kind of goggles on their face.
Yes, VR/AR is getting better and better, but it will be a "popular option in the near future", not THE future. I wouldn't even call it the future, as we have this stuff in the here and now.
(I have seen this kind of thinking
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happier sales (Score:2)
it results in happier sales.
that's better for a platforms health.
However I have some feeling it's just a way to fullfill some promise about demoing stadia and the other stuff is just filler.
I thought Target was a pet store (Score:2)
They always have dogs in TV commercials.
sell pinball games in a store! (Score:2)
sell pinball games in a store!
Yes the full size ones
Concept Store (Score:2)
Another word for a business that is pissing away money like there's no tomorrow.