Facebook taking VR Mainstream5016
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 StandardMember Windsor, UK |
leonvanzweel private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Facebook Inc. is taking another stab at turning its Oculus Rift virtual reality headset into a mass-market phenomenon. Later this year, the company plans to unveil a cheaper, wireless device that the company is betting will popularize VR the way Apple did the smartphone. Currently, VR hardware comes in two flavors: cheap headsets that turn smartphones into virtual reality players (like Samsung’s $130 Gear VR) and high-end gaming rigs (like Facebook’s $400 Oculus Rift) that hook up to $1,000-plus desktop computers. Facebook’s new headset is designed to bridge the gap -- a device that will sell for as little as $200 and need not be tethered to a PC or phone, according to people familiar with its development. It will ship next year and represent an entirely new category. Like current Oculus products, the new headset will be geared toward immersive gaming, watching video and social networking, said the people who asked not to be named to discuss a private matter. Code-named “Pacific,” the device resembles a more compact version of the Rift and will be lighter than Samsung’s Gear VR headset, one of the people said. The device’s design and features aren’t finalized and could still change, but the idea is that someone will be able to pull the headset out of their bag and watch movies on a flight just the way you can now with a phone or tablet. At Oculus’s developer conference last year, Facebook Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg described a “sweet spot” for a device that sits between the Gear VR and Rift. “This is the kind of thing that we believe will exist,” he said. In an emailed statement Oculus spokesman Alan Cooper said: “We don’t have a product to unveil at this time, however, we can confirm we’re making several significant technology investments in the standalone VR category.” Oculus built its first prototype in 2010, back when it was still a Kickstarter-funded startup. In 2014, Facebook acquired the company for about $2 billion. Today the global market for VR headsets remains tiny. In the first quarter, hardware makers shipped 2.3 million of the devices, according to IDC, compared with 347 million smartphones. Buggy hardware, pricey headsets, and insufficient content are all holding back mass adoption. That’s starting to change as the second generation of devices starts to roll out. Last year, Sony Corp. debuted the PlayStation VR, a $500 headset that has sold close to a million units and taps the company’s gaming and entertainment ecosystem. Meanwhile, HTC Corp. and Lenovo Group, which both use Google’s Daydream OS, are working on their own standalone headsets and expect to release them this year. Ditto for Samsung Electronics Co., which uses Oculus technology. Also gearing up is Apple Inc., which is betting on augmented reality technology that lays maps, text messages and more over the real world -- a bet that most consumers won’t want to be isolated inside VR headsets. Right now Samsung leads the pack with about 22 percent of the global VR market, according to IDC. Facebook’s Oculus Rift is in fourth place, behind Sony and HTC, with about 5 percent of the market, or less than 100,000 units sold, IDC says. To goose sales, the company in July dropped the price of its headset for the second time this year. If Facebook can get the new hardware right, it has some key advantages, including a vibrant ecosystem of downloadable VR games and apps, plus enthusiastic developers who gather in their thousands each year at the company’s Oculus Connect conference. The new headset will have a similar interface to Samsung’s VR Gear and can be controlled by a wireless remote. Facebook has said it’s also working on a prototype device code-named Santa Cruz that’s basically a wireless Rift, with the full power of the original device sans PC. Oculus has plans to enlist China’s Xiaomi and its network of contract manufacturers to produce the new headset for global distribution, people familiar with the arrangement said. The device will feature Oculus branding around the world, except a custom version for China will feature Xiaomi branding and run some Xiaomi software applications, the people said. Hugo Barra, recently put in charge of Oculus’s VR products, was previously a Xiaomi executive. Xiaomi declined to comment. Facebook plans to power the product with a Snapdragon mobile chip from Qualcomm, people familiar with the matter said. Qualcomm declined to comment. The device’s gaming power is superior to that of the Gear VR, but unlike the powerful Rift device, will not include positional tracking technology. This means that the device won’t be able to tell where its user is spatial, which is useful for tasks like virtual rock climbing. A future version of the product will have that technology, according to a person familiar with the plans. The company plans to begin briefing content makers, such as video game designers, on the device by October so that the product’s application store could launch with compatible games, one of the people said. The downloads store will be re-written and accessible from the virtual reality interface itself, this person said. Facebook’s new VR handset will ship in 2018 so will miss this year’s holiday shopping season, giving rivals a chance to hit the market first. But the $200 price and Oculus’s reputation among developers could give the gadget an edge with consumers. Source: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-07-13/facebook-said-to-plan-200-wireless-oculus-vr-headset-for-2018 |
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mori private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I think most people still forget that according to my opinion 70-90% of the sold headsets named, besides playstation vr, were and are bought by media companies and developers - not normal people. So I still think that there exists no end customer who own a VR headset. |
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Standard Member Windsor, UK |
leonvanzweel private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @mori I think VR is still very early on the curve, but with Facebook getting involved there will be enough media created to stir demand at the 200 USD price point. | ||
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Marc private msg quote post Address this user | |
| The problem is that headsets are the problem. It's the same problem as putting on 3D glasses to watch tv in 3D (gone!). The day the industry rethinks 360 and 3D projection at core is the day the true mainstream will buy in. I actually think it has nothing to do with us as content creators but rather - architects & living space design engineers. Being immersed with a 'strap-on' is always going to have an element of fakeness to it. The moment you can walk into a room and the room itself is part of the experience... then you have something people will buy - and we don't have to sell the thing - it'll be a room. We just have to keep making better and better content. |
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Bale100 private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I agree - they feel intrusive after a few minutes. They're also hot, sweaty and unhygienic in shared environments....think make up, sweat, hair, skin problems etc. The Japanese and other providers are selling disposable face pads on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/MDW-Disposable-Facial-Mask-Headset/dp/B01K424IDS This still does not overcome the other issues including portability and looking 'uncool' with an oversized box strapped to your head. They need to be personalised into portable designer glasses to stand a chance - so the technology has to be downsized. When designer glasses took hold, people without eye sight problems were buying them with clear / non prescription lenses. Potential opportunity for the tech manufacturers to partner with the designer frame manufacturers e.g. Luxottica etc. http://www.luxottica.com/en/eyewear-brands Having your own personal glasses that you carry with you to shop e.g. viewing new car, home improvements, Estate Agent etc. would feel more natural. |
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