Post by Morreion on Dec 20, 2015 8:38:56 GMT -5
The Promise of Virtual Reality is Starting to Look Very Real (NBC News)
Only a handful of virtual reality headsets existed when Alphabet unveiled Google Glass, but the past half-decade has seen billions invested in VR, moving a technology once thought of as a gimmick much closer to the everyday lives of real people.
Virtual reality companies raised $1.46 billion in venture capital from the start of 2012 through the third quarter this year, according to CB Insights, marking four straight quarters that these start-ups reached $100 million-plus in funding. Since 2010, these firms have raised $3.9 billion, according to PitchBook.
...Facebook's Oculus virtual reality platform recently unveiled lower-cost hardware and a slew of media partnerships that aim to bring the technology to the mainstream — its debut is slated for the first quarter of 2016. While hard-core gamers wait for the Oculus Rift to launch for use with PCs, many consumers were anxious to get their hands on the consumer version of the Samsung Gear VR, which went on sale for $99 in November, half the price of the headset last year. It sold out on eBay and Amazon in a matter of days.
Google has Cardboard, a cheaper VR headset that uses smartphones as a screen.
Avegant's Glyph ($599) is a virtual reality headset designed a little differently than other contenders — it is built with the concept of marrying high-end headphones to a VR headset. Glyph is intended to give on-the-go consumers quick access to immersive entertainment in a minimalist package. Glyph can be used as high-end headphones alone, or "flipped down" 90 degrees to turn into a VR headset that can project an image from a HDMI source, such as a phone or tablet, directly onto a wearer's retina.
Only a handful of virtual reality headsets existed when Alphabet unveiled Google Glass, but the past half-decade has seen billions invested in VR, moving a technology once thought of as a gimmick much closer to the everyday lives of real people.
Virtual reality companies raised $1.46 billion in venture capital from the start of 2012 through the third quarter this year, according to CB Insights, marking four straight quarters that these start-ups reached $100 million-plus in funding. Since 2010, these firms have raised $3.9 billion, according to PitchBook.
...Facebook's Oculus virtual reality platform recently unveiled lower-cost hardware and a slew of media partnerships that aim to bring the technology to the mainstream — its debut is slated for the first quarter of 2016. While hard-core gamers wait for the Oculus Rift to launch for use with PCs, many consumers were anxious to get their hands on the consumer version of the Samsung Gear VR, which went on sale for $99 in November, half the price of the headset last year. It sold out on eBay and Amazon in a matter of days.
Google has Cardboard, a cheaper VR headset that uses smartphones as a screen.
Avegant's Glyph ($599) is a virtual reality headset designed a little differently than other contenders — it is built with the concept of marrying high-end headphones to a VR headset. Glyph is intended to give on-the-go consumers quick access to immersive entertainment in a minimalist package. Glyph can be used as high-end headphones alone, or "flipped down" 90 degrees to turn into a VR headset that can project an image from a HDMI source, such as a phone or tablet, directly onto a wearer's retina.
