Modern VR technology is a relatively new technology. With the release of Oculus Rift in 2010, the technology became available at a consumer level. The advancement of the technology was boosted when Meta acquired Oculus in 2014. Unity began VR support from Unity 5. With its latest version, the platform became even easier for developers to create video games for Oculus and other VR platforms.
Currently, 60% of AR and VR content available in the market was created with Unity. The figure has gone up as Unity introduced new functionalities that make VR development easier and faster. Some successful VR titles like Beat Saber or Superhot VR were created with Unity.
Developing and releasing VR games
There are a decent amount of tutorials to get you started in Unity VR development, but Unity is renowned for its flexibility and easier learning curve. These traits help indie or nonprofessional developers. It also has VR development support.
Unity uses XR Interaction Toolkit since Unity 2019. With Universal Render Pipeline, it is now easier to produce more high-quality graphics while making the game more performant. Meanwhile, Oculus‘ Interaction Toolkit for Unity includes Hand Tracking, Avatar, LipSynch, and many more features.
Reaching gamers
Quest Store has a high standard and many requirements for an app to be released. Also, their monetization might feel a little too much, as Meta cuts 30% from what an app earns in Quest Store. Having a game released on Quest Store might be a challenge for an indie developer, but SideQuest or AppLab is the easy solution for this. AppLab is like an early access platform in VR. It does not require sideloading and neither Quest Store approval. Developers can easily release their VR games in AppLab. Developers can release their in-development games and get feedback. Based on the reviews in SideQuest and AppLab, it is easier to get Quest Store approval.
During Meta Connect 2022, Mark Zuckerburg claimed that 36% of Apps in the Quest Store had earned more than USD 1 million. In total, 33 titles have earned more than USD 10 million dollars. This makes the total revenue of the Quest store over USD 1.5 billion.
Clearly, the market is growing. It is estimated that after Quest 3 releases, it will continue to grow more. Major developers are taking an interest in VR as seen in Apple’s recent launch of their Apple Vision Pro. This can potentially bring more developers to platforms like Unity and attract more players into the technology.
Photo credit: The feature image has been done by Steve Jennings / Getty Images for TechCrunch. The screenshots in the body of the article were taken by the author for TechAcute.
Source: Meta
