The Advancement of Virtual Reality is Taking Shape


As in any medium that mixes hardware and software, the success of virtual reality is entirely dependent on the development and availability of content that consumers want, and are willing to pay for. And while there are a growing number of developers building VR content, the people doing that work seem like they don’t expect to be able to make much money doing so anytime soon.
According to the study, developers expect “dramatic” growth of between 200% and 300% by 2018, and “believe [VR’s] ‘inflection point’ is still two-to-three years off.”
More to the point, developers seem aware that in the short term they won’t be making a lot of money off their VR efforts. That’s in part because they think there will be multiple models of VR content, and prices for that content that are either very low or very high. In total, 51% of all VR content is expected to cost $24 or less.
Still, developers are flocking to virtual reality, with 44% of all of those working to build VR content having started to do so within the last year. Just 19% have been doing so for more than a year, and 17% for more than two years, the report found.
Of those currently working on VR content, 61% have been doing so for the Oculus Rift, while 57% have focused on the Gear VR, 46% on Cardboard, 30% on Vive, and just 11% on the PlayStation VR.
Those numbers should change over time, though. The study predicted that developers’ focus going forward will shift, with 46% building for the PlayStation VR, 44% for the Vive, 37% for the Gear VR, 30% for the Rift, and just 24% for Cardboard.
As the VR industry expands, one of the brightest spots could be what is called “standalone” headsets. These are devices that are neither tethered nor connected to a smartphone. Rather, they have integrated computing and communications systems. Both Google and GameFace Labs are thought to be working on such systems.
Google successfully pulling off such gear could be a major boon to the industry’s growth.
“If Google can release a standalone headset that requires no external computational source, wires, or unnecessary tinkering to get working,” the authors said, “we estimate that it will greatly appeal to the average consumer. Eliminating any unnecessary cognitive burden to the user is paramount for emerging technologies, and VR is no different.”

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