15 vr trends 2017 yariv levski
TRANSCRIPT
VIRTUAL REALITY TRENDS WE ARE PREDICTING FOR 2017
15
43 millionsof VR users by 2017 30 billion
VR revenue in 2020
Increasingly mainstream audience
very soon
VR MARKET FORECAST
1. VR HEADSETS V2
The trend of release of a number of VR headsets will continue and on a much grander scale
We will see new devices hit the stands from
Razer and FOVE
We will witness a widescale adoption
of the Google Daydream View
More ‘established’ names in the world of VR will respond with a second generation of headsets to compete. Namely, Oculus Rift with ‘Santa Cruz’ and the HTC Vive 2, both of which will offer better immersive
experience at (hopefully) lower prices.
2. SAME GAME, NEW PLAYERS
VR
What makes us think so?
Intel, with Project Alloy is already muscling its way inApple continue to recruit VR & AR expertsAmazon (along with other ecommerce giants such as eBay and Shopify) will be acutely aware of the need to diversify their platform and embrace VR when it comes to online shopping
3. MORE THAN JUST SOUND & VISION
The VR industry is moving closer to perfecting the visual and auditory aspects of experiencing a virtual environment.
However, to truly achieve immersion, the other senses must be satisfied. We’ve seen VR app developers experiment with haptic feedback using gloves and handheld controls, and in 2017 we expect more time and resource to be spent on developing inputs for touch and smell.
2016
2017
4. VC VR Investment
The VR has already experienced rapid growth. From Q1 2015 to Q1 2016, 1.7$ Billion was invested in AR/VR companies. But if our forecast come to pass the real growth is yet to occur.
As VR transitions from a novelty ‘nice-to-have’ piece of tech to a ‘must-own’ over the next 12 months and beyond, revenue-focused Series B rounds will be more frequent.
HTC announced 10$ Billion will be invested via dedicated VR fund.
Bforecast
5. UNITY AND UNREAL GROW – SPACE FOR ONE MORE BIG 3D ENGINE?
VS.Unity and Unreal Engine are the big two 3D engines from which developers typically
choose now.Do they leave space for another engine to emerge and compete?
We think so, and we’ll be keeping a close eye on the likes of CryEngine and CopperCube to see how they position themselves going forward. And it’s not unlikely that one of the big players, such Google, Facebook, or Apple will develop their own proprietary 3D engine.
6. STRATEGIC ALLIANCES FORM
Companies would be collaborating in order to optimise Windows-based content on Intel-based VR devices.
&
The race is on to develop a VR standard, and it makes sense that companies come together to share their expertise.
We expect to see even more of these types of relationships emerge in 2017.
7. SOCIAL ACTIVITIES TRANSFORM
Expect new sports to arise and thrive, such as drone racing, while established sports such as soccer, basketball, and ice hockey will be increasingly experienced in VR.
What about social media, we believe we’ll see more from Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook in 2017. Zuck demoed his vision for social VR in 2016, and reminded us why Facebook paid $2Bn for Oculus Rift.
8. VR GOES MAINSTREAM
It’s likely that Daydream will bring Virtual Reality to the masses thanks to its affordable hardware and accessible marketplace.
With VR applications such as Google Play Movies, Hulu, Netflix, YouTube, and countless interactive games, it’s not difficult to see why we’re certain Google are onto a winner with Daydream.
As smartphones are built and released as being ‘Daydream-ready’ (a phrase we’ll all be hearing a lot more in 2017) it essentially means anyone with a smartphone will have access to Virtual Reality content.
9. HOLLYWOOD GOES VR
The world’s first ever Virtual Reality cinema sprang to life in Amsterdam this year. We expect this will be the first of many similar cinemas around Europe and indeed the world that will come into being in 2017.
Hollywood are well aware of the potential that VR represents and more and more resource will be dedicated to cracking that potential.
Special effects and first person storytelling will come on leaps and bounds as movies seek to challenge video games as the champion of VR content.
10. POWERFUL PROCESSORS, SPEEDIER SPEEDS
With all of this new hardware and software to look forward to, it simply must be underpinned by processors that are more powerful than those we currently use.
As VR is adopted at a mainstream level, we should see faster networks and higher bandwidth come to the fore in order to support the hardware and minimize latency as the content is being enjoyed.
We expect screen resolutions to improve to provide us with a crisper Virtual Reality experience.
11. VR DEVELOPERS IN DEMAND AND OTHER JOBS FOLLOW
The demand for VR developers has grown throughout 2016. In fact, the 3D developer will be the ‘new’ mobile developer. 2017 will most certainly see this trend continue as Virtual Reality edges ever closer to mainstream adoption.
With every growth industry, the technical jobs come first, and everything else follows. As more content is created and released, we reckon 2017 will see an uptick in VR-related roles such as marketing and customer service.
12. THE USER BASE EXPLODES
The people are ready for VR, and 2017 will witness a massive jump in user numbers. This suggests that the next 12 months will present the ideal opportunity to put your VR application into the hands of an engaged and motivated audience.
2014200,000
users
201730,000,000
users
a 450% increase
10 % hardcore gamers
90% casual gamers
and mass market
13. VR CREEPS INTO OUR EVERYDAY LIVES
Beyond the previously mentioned games, movies, sports, and shopping, we’ll certainly see VR creep into other aspects of our everyday lives in 2017:
Medical training and teaching in particular will benefit greatly from Virtual Reality technologies, offering real-time feedback and valuable practical exercises without putting anyone in jeopardy.
Less importance will be placed on physical locations for training exercises or classroom lessons.
14. PLAYSTATION VR CHANGES THE GAME
We’re sure that Google Daydream will make VR accessible to an incredibly large mainstream audience, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be room for competition. We expect that to come quite robustly in the shape of Sony’s PlayStation VR.
With over two decades in the console business, Sony have something of an advantage over its rivals when it comes to video games. Having launched in October 2016, there are certainly plenty of titles to keep its early adopters busy (and happy), and we’re looking forward to more third-party titles becoming available in 2017 to really give us an indication as to the standard of VR video games is headed.
15. UNKNOWN
I think there is a world market for maybe five computers- Thomas Watson, President of IBM, 1943We certainly don’t wish to be quoted on a list such as this a year from now, but we can say one thing is for sure no-one can predict precisely how VR will change our lives in the next 12 months and beyond.
The tech is changing so rapidly, and the market is growing exponentially; our final trend for 2017 is quite simply ‘unknown’.
