Tencent might develop a VR version of WeChat
Can Tencent succeed where Facebook failed?
Strap on a VR headset and hang out with your friends’ virtual avatars in a virtual space -- that’s the idea of a VR social network. Now Tencent could be making its own version of that.
“It’s time to seriously consider developing a VR version of WeChat”, Tencent CEO Pony Ma said today at the Wuzhen World Internet Conference.
Why now? Ma cited greater internet speed thanks to 5G, and more VR headsets that’ll possibly be released next year. Download speeds at China Telecom’s 5G test site at the conference reached 17GB per second, Ma said, quoting China Telecom’s chairman.
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(Companies always highlight all sorts of advanced gestures you can pull off in VR, but what always ends up happening is people just wave their hands a lot and do some cheesy dance moves.)
It could also be the amount of things required to hang out with your friends in the digital space. Everybody has to have a headset, and they need to be able to use the headset at the same time. And can you imagine using it outdoors? I do most of my WeChat messaging on the go, but I can’t imagine strapping a VR headset to my face outside of my house to wave at some virtual friends.
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For more insights into China tech, sign up for our tech newsletters, subscribe to our Inside China Tech podcast, and download the comprehensive 2019 China Internet Report. Also roam China Tech City, an award-winning interactive digital map at our sister site Abacus.