As a growing number of vendors unleash VR products at the market, Apple and Microsoft remain noticeably absent. But, likely, not for long.
Now that Sony’s PlayStation VR is a sell out, and interest slowly grows in Oculus Rift on PC, Samsung VR and other products across a range of budgets, where are Microsoft and Apple?
As more content comes online, with NBA, NFL and other sports, plus live music events being recorded in 3D by the likes of Nokia’s Ozo and Voke VR cameras, they will need a way for their users to play them in 3D soon. A raft of startups are taking to crowdfunding with a range of more affordable VR recording solutions. The likes of Orbi Prime plans to bring VR recording glasses that remove the need for cameras and powerful processing or storage, which could give a big boost to VR content on social media.
Big VR Guns Prepare
With growing interest on the horizon, Microsoft already has HoloLens, but the augmented solution is currently being focused as a business and educational product with a high price tag. When talking about the launch of the upcoming Xbox Scorpio console, Microsoft said it would support VR, but there is no product that will work with it, yet.
Will Microsoft use its HoloLens experience and produce its own VR kit, to compete directly with Sony’s PlayStation VR, or will it partner with Oculus or HTC to brand a solution as an Xbox model?
Apple, of course, marches to its own drum beat, but the company has been making noises about augmented and virtual reality recently. Boss Tim Cook is leaning toward augmented reality for his personal preference, but the engineers at Cupertino could well have all bases covered with a range of products waiting for approval. Apple has been hiring VR experts recently, which suggests they are definitely preparing something, but the final product could well be something unique, rather than following the herd.
Wherever VR goes in 2017, interest will only grow as there’s more to watch and play.
Photo credit: re:publica, Jan Zappner
Source: Eimi Yamamitsu, John Paczkowski (BuzzFeed)
