RubyVR Enters Headset Game

This article originally appeared in the June 2016 issue of AVN magazine. Click here to see a digital edition of the magazine. With Google’s blessing and a strategy for branding in the new era of virtual reality, RubyVR is launching this month with a suite of custom printed VR Viewers. The team behind RubyVR specializes in customizing its line of VR viewers for any kind of brand, message or website. Manufactured in Berkeley, Calif., the RubyVR viewers have received Google’s official endorsement, paving the way for the venture that will make virtual reality content accessible to the masses without the need for expensive hardware. “A couple years ago we talked to Google about making a Google Cardboard-certified device that has their stamp of approval,” explained Michael Donohue, the senior vice president of sales and marketing for RubyVR. “We’re located near them in the Bay Area. We have all the processing and fabrication machines. … It’s a natural evolution into this space.” Donohue said RubyVR’s ability to create large quantities of made-to-order viewers makes it an ideal source for companies, studios and talent ready to make their mark in the emerging VR content landscape. “Our biggest value propositions are the quality and branding capabilities of our viewers,” Donohue said. “We can take anything—any artwork, any customization you would want—and use it as an advertising, marketing or experience extension tool through branding.” With the RubyVR Headset consumers can use the smartphone already in their pocket; it works with all smartphones 4-6.5 inches, including Android and iPhone. The RubyVR Headset also features dual lenses designed to independently adjust to correct a wide variety of vision problems while users enjoy an immersive experience. The team behind RubyVR began exploring VR opportunities in April 2015, turning its attention to the adult industry in January during the Internext Expo in Las Vegas. Since then, RubyVR has been in advanced talks with a few of the biggest players in the still burgeoning adult VR space. At press time, RubyVR was in the final stages of launching a RubyVR Mailer test campaign in association with BaDoink VR. The campaign entails a giveaway of a basic viewer that folds into a flat piece of cardboard with lenses that is mailed to a limited number of BaDoink customers. “It’s not the full experience, but it’s a good first take on what VR can look like,” Donohue said. “What we’re trying to pull off with this product is to get VR into more hands than what it’s in today, and use it as a springboard to a more immersive viewer.” The company behind RubyVR brings a wealth of experience in high-speed printing and case making for a range of premium consumer and office products to the venture. But even with annual revenues topping $15 million and a worldwide client base, Donohue said taking on Samsung, HTC and Oculus Rift in the headset game is a tall order. “That’s the challenge … how do we take that small footprint we have and leverage our marketing to get the biggest bang for our buck?” Donohue said. “It points us toward a little bit more target marketing, which is one reason why the adult entertainment industry is interesting for us.” Donohue believes RubyVR, which also features a PopUp model that collapses to a convenient size and “pops up” into a fully functioning viewer when opened, can be a key marketing tool for adult companies’ VR efforts. “It takes people who don’t know about VR or don’t have a clear perspective on where they want to go with it, and gives them a cool experience at minimal cost,” Donohue said. “There could be an actress with a serialized picture and her signature and it becomes a collector’s item. We have the on-demand ability to mass produce these things.” Currently, consumers can buy the RubyVR viewers directly off the RubyVR.com site.