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Not everyone seems to be a believer in how virtual reality (VR) can be used to connect people. In addition to this, many people see VR headsets as entertainment or gamer platforms. Not everyone thinks it will take off, which is unfortunate since VR has so much more to offer outside of the entertainment scope.
Canon has stepped up to the challenge to develop a VR solution that makes you feel you’re with the people you’re communicating with online. From the feedback so far (before its launch!), people are quite impressed with the realistic environment it creates.
So, What Is It?
Early Access Release launching today, April 19, the primary goal the developers of Canon’s Kokomo app set out to accomplish was to create a believable virtual world that individuals can enter that feels incredibly natural to participate in. That said, the Kokomo app is not a hardware offering—rather, it is a free-to-download (or "freemium”) software solution designed to make it feel like you’re talking to an actual person.
How is this done, you ask? Utilizing a VR headset that’s compatible with the Kokomo app and a compatible mobile device (each sold separately), people can capture and see live representations of the individuals beyond just interacting with the talking heads we’ve gotten used to talking to on video calls. This means users can see full-body depictions of the people they’re conversing with, which is a big reason there’s been early hype around the Kokomo solution. Now put those people in digital environments based on real spaces with believable scale, and you have what sounds to be the next step in virtual reality. To enhance the user experience, there is a media player that can be used to help make our interactions with others be more meaningful beyond simply meeting up with one another.
This solution is launching with the ability to just interact with others on one-to-one calls, but Canon is exploring the ability to be on calls with multiple individuals after the Kokomo app’s initial release. It should also be noted that it will initially be compatible with the Meta Quest 2—the most commercially successful VR headset in the market currently—before becoming available on other Meta Quest hardware in the future. From there, Canon intends on seeing what other headset platforms would be optimal for the Kokomo by Canon app.
What This Means for the Workplace
When learning about this solution, the Kokomo app team shared with us that this was designed to be a consumer-first solution, not as a workplace-focused software solution. Upon early reception, however, most individuals saw the Kokomo solution being useful for their own purposes, regardless of the industry people that tested this product were part of. So while there isn’t much information about workplace usage out of the gate, organizational meetings can definitely be held within the Kokomo app environment—enabling teams to step up their game in terms of how they tackle remote work.
Keypoint Intelligence Opinion
We can see it taking a couple of years before Canon and the organizations using the Kokomo app will fully realize how this solution can be used to improve the AR/VR remote work experience. While the basic, freemium version of the Kokomo app might be ideal for some organizations, we expect paid add-ons to become available that cater to businesses in specific verticals.
Much of its presence for professional use also depends on how much organizations want to invest in VR technology to meet remotely. While the use of VR technology is growing for professional use, it is currently not in a place where many small and medium-sized businesses will use it to meet and collaborate. If anything, large and enterprise-sized businesses will probably lead the charge in figuring out how the Kokomo by Canon app can best be used in the ever-growing digital workplace.
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