A few thoughts on Augmented & Virtual Reality

As a startup co-founder I’m always trying my best to live in a fully formed future. This is what John MacFarlane, the co-founder and CEO of Sonos used to always say and it’s stuck with me. It can be easy to look what’s right in front of your face without paying attention to where things are going. While we all stare at small flat screens now, before you know it we’ll be wearing those screens and augmenting our reality.

While Google Glass got everyone excited about Augmented Reality the price and final product didn’t meet the hype. It’s no secret that Google Glass didn’t take-off but it did pave the way for companies all over the world to realize that the general public is very interested in augmented reality and the market is still looking for a leader.

SEER Augmented Reality

This weekend I backed SEER on Kickstarter which I think looks like one of the most promising products in the augmented reality space but they’re not alone. There are dozens of companies rushing into the augmented reality space and while not all of them can hit it out of the park it’s clear that this is going to be a category.

Next up is Virtual Reality which Facebook has already placed a big bet on with the purchase of Oculus for $2B.

“We have a lot more to do on mobile, but at this point we feel we’re in a position where we can start focusing on what platforms will come next to enable even more useful, entertaining and personal experiences.” (Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook Blog)

While these are two different technologies that I do see them growing together because they both get consumers more comfortable with a world where we’re not starting at screens, we’re wearing them. It’s still early, but as someone that has been waiting for this point in history since I first read Snowcrash almost 15 years ago I can tell you I’m exciting to be living in the fully formed future that is quickly becoming our reality.

I also can’t help but put on a couple hats as an investor. These two technologies will impact the domain name world without a doubt and in more ways than just buying domains with the worlds “virtual reality” or “augmented reality” in them. It means a new way that people access information that might not always end in a .COM or use a keyboard at all. It also means that some traditional investors will win big if they invest in companies that become leaders in this space because some companies we know and love now might get left in the dust.

Just like I never imagined that we’d live in a world without Netscape, or where Yahoo wasn’t the biggest search engine on the planet, it’s not hard to imagine a world where a company most of us haven’t heard of yet becomes the next Google.

Now it’s your turn, is this all a bunch of hype or is this the fully formed future we’re all going to live in? Comment and let your voice be heard!

Morgan Linton

Morgan Linton