Jul 11, 2021
Most important summary of the latest week in the excitement world of VR & AR (05–10July 2021)
Hi dear reader. I am starting with this week from 05–10 of July with the most interesting and hottest news in the world of VR & AR. I will update you every week on Sunday with a short and useful summary. Thanks for reading & following me.
Monday 05 of July
Virtual Reality Headsets See Explosive Growth
Virtual reality headsets grew more than 50% in the first quarter of 2021 compared with the same period last year, according to a new report. Facebook, which has owned Oculus since 2014, was one of the key driving factors. According to information released by market research firm IDC, shipments of VR headsets grew 52.4% in Q1 2021. For the year, IDC is forecasting somewhat lower growth as a result of component shortages impacting all areas of technology. For the year, IDC predicted headset shipments of about 7.15 million, with compound annual growth through 2025 anticipated at 41.4%. Headset shipments are expected to hit 28.6 million units in 2025.
Tuesday 06 of July
Sony´s upcoming Playstation 2 VR Headset a future niche product for everyones household ?
The future of VR is still unknown, and because of that, full of endless possibilities. But, as it stands today, VR is still a niche product; However, as PlayStation doubles down on Virtual Reality, the path to making VR a household product becomes more clear. What’s been missing from the fight? A large company with the capabilities and care to give general audiences access to a product they didn’t know they needed.The superpower that Sony and PlayStation bring to the table is the massive mainstream appeal. Currently, they sit with over 114 million PlayStations residing in homes around the world, they just had the most successful gaming hardware launch in U.S. History, and two of their most recent games, The Last of Us Part II & Ghost of Tsushima, garnered them a mountain of “Game of the Year” Awards. It’s safe to say that whatever Sony and PlayStation put out, consumers’ eyes, and wallets will follow.
Wednesday 07 of July
Osso VR raises 27$ Million dollars to turn surgery into a helpful video game.
Osso VR is looking to upend modern surgical instruction with a virtual reality-based solution that allows surgeons to interact with new medical devices in 3D space, “performing” a surgery over and over on a digital cadaver from the comfort of anywhere they have enough room to stretch out their arms. Osso’s efforts are particularly useful to its medical device customers who can use the platform to boost familiarity with their solutions while helping surgeons gain proficiency in implanting them.
Thursday 08 of July
Facebook tests ads in virtual reality headsets
Facebook has begun displaying ads in its Oculus virtual reality headsets, despite the founder of the platform saying it would never do so. In what the social network described as an experiment, ads will begin to appear in a game called Blaston with other developers rolling out similar ads. It said it would listen to feedback before launching virtual reality ads more widely. It also revealed it is testing new ad formats “that are unique to VR”.
Friday 09 of July
Marina Bay Sands to launch new Virtual Reality Gallery
Singapore integrated resort Marina Bay Sands has announced the opening of a new permanent Virtual Reality Gallery at ArtScience Museum this Saturday.Celebrating the 10th anniversary of the museum, opened in February 2011, the VR Gallery will be equipped with state-of-the-art virtual reality headsets and controllers, encouraging visitors to explore unique immersive experiences from some of the world’s most renowned artists, museums and film festivals.
Saturday 10 of July
Netflix about VR & Gaming
Netflix has made its most public display of interest in expanding into virtual reality and gaming, after years of batting away questions about pursuing VR and even more years of baby steps toward video games.
The opportunity to pursue potential games and VR is far from a full-throated commitment. But it’s still the clearest public statement so far that Netflix is interested in broadening into video games, a major entertainment category, and virtual reality, a fledgling one.
“We’re trying to figure out what are all these different ways … we can deepen that fandom, and certainly games are a really interesting component of that,” “There’s no doubt that games are going to be an important form of entertainment and an important modality to deepen that fan experience.” — Greg Peters/COO of Netflix
Netflix executives have routinely expressed that the company wanted to wait and see how VR progressed before jumping in.
