this is Sebastian from MRTV. Perhaps you have already heard about it on my channel, but for those who have not, I would like to tell you about my new project. It is called “trymytech”.
trymytech is like an airbnb for xr hardware. You can show other people your Pimax Crystal for a fee. The platform is launching in the US, the UK and in Germany. So if you live in one of those countries and own a Crystal, you could sign up! That is the short version.
if all customers received the same quality, this would be a greater gain for the community. as long as each device has differences, I could book 10 of these meetings and would have 10 different impressions. at the end of the day, I wouldn’t know if the device would ultimately work error-free on my pc at home either. i think the idea is very nice.
So if I wanted to demo say a Pimax Crystal in a setting that would show it’s highest fidelity. I would need a space. Showing it off at optimum would need a hefty pc. If I were flogging it’s obvious sim capability I would probably want driving or flight gear hooked up.
So I invite people to my home. Now a bunch of strangers know where i live and that I have some very expensive tech and the layout of my home, not to mention what other items might be worth visiting at a future date when nobody is home.
Lousy risk reward and the demonstrator does all the work.
If I want to advise people I barely know about VR I send them to an arcade at the mall where they can try Vive Pros on PCars and DR2. Then I give them the ball park cost of ownership as there wives pull them away in haste.
Exactly. Imagine owning a Ferrari and some one knocks on your door and says ‘Hey I see you have a Ferrari. I have a friend who would like to drive your Ferrari so he can then go buy a Ferrari at the local dealership. My friend has no insurance so if he crashes it’s all on you. And by the way he’ll give you $1000 but I want $200 back for being the middle man. Oh and by the way he has a weak bladder so he’s going to want to use your bathroom and maybe if you give him a drink for the journey home that would be great.’
Out of the goodness of your heart you decide to give this guy a ride in your Ferrari. You take the risk and pocket $800. A year later there’s a knock on the door, it’s the same guy only it turn out he works for the tax man and he hands you a notice to appear in court for tax evasion because you ran an illegal business and didn’t declare tax on the $800. You end up with a criminal record and left wondering why you bothered.
In the mean time MRTV pocketed all those risk free 20%s and was already registered as self employed so didn’t mind paying 20% tax on all those free demos because it cost him literally nothing.
Hi, thanks @Lucivr ! Well, we will have a rating system, so you will see how “good” or “liked” an Experience provider is. Probably you will even know them from the community, so you got a nice communtiy meet up next to checking out the device at hand!
Well, I did have an Experience like this, the MRTV Experience. And that was finally when I earned some money with VR.
So while I don’t think that in the beginning this will be a whole job for someone, I do think that people will earn some extra money for their next headset or get into a relationship with headset providers and get discounted/free headset if the Experience runs well. And that might be a nice reward for some already.
Yes, it won’t be for everyone, that is for sure. But there will be people who have a garage, or an office, or a mancave where they will be comfortable to receive customers.
For visitors, the strangers, they will need to do an ID check before they can book an Experience. Also they will pay with their credit card, so same security mechanisms like airbnb.
So yeah, when airbnb started, people had the same thoughts. What a stupid idea to let complete strangers into your house who will steal and who knows what else do to you and your family…
People who sign up for this will need to pay taxes on income generated through this.
About pocketing “risk free” 20%…haha. Well, it is incredibly tough to start up a business. And expensive. If it is so simple and risk free, I suggest you start it!
But anyways, I still thank you for all your attention and putting so much thought into it.
I like the idea Sebastian! LIke you said, it’s not for everybody, I would personally not invite strangers into my own house. However I’m sure others will. And I would be willing to pay easily $100 to try the XTAL 4 for an hour, when somebody near me has it for example. So I do think there will be a market for this. Especially for more expensive headsets this is a great idea.
I knew you would come back with that one but its totally different Seb. As far as I know YT is your full time job which means you’re at home 24/7. Most people have full time jobs and probably work shifts. They would have to sign up to be self employed and do self assesments every year.
Surely people with AirBnB have their private rooms locked? I have a purpose built mancave but the toilet is still in the house. Maybe some don’t care who has access to their private life but I can’t imagine people walking around my house lol.
Surely that has an ensuite bathroom?
Take my advice for what its worth.
Don’t expect people to pay you 20% and then the government 20% because 40% from $30 is so steep its cheaper and safer to do an hours overtime. Your fee should be 5% tops and free for the first year.
Insuring equipment for damage is a must. Either from the manufacturer or an insurance company.
Don’t promise something for free and say ‘Maybe’ otherwise you start to sound like Pimax.
Get manufacturers to gaurrantee discounts on Demo hardware - 40% is a must.
Manufacturers should allow these people become dealers and sell hardware at the end of each session.
But as it stands the Manufacturers are laughing as they’re getting labour and a demonstration room for free. You’re laughing as you’re getting 20% from literally thin air. lol The actual person doing the work could be crying when they’re paying you 20% the government 20% and run the risk of damaged or worn equipment with a toilet filled with stale piss after someones 3 hour drive. lol.
I think key is to verify the clients correctly, like with Airbnb. That way you can hopefully ensure that thieves won’t exploit this service. I think that would really be the main issue. If you can solve that, I think it’s going to be an interesting service for many.
They use to come around to give free home demonstrations. Now you have to book an appointment and pay a fee and travel to see if you want to buy from someone. PT Barnum saw us coming.
