Even though there are still the very early stages for virtual reality, there are some casualties to take into account as well. Not all companies can afford to pursue this industry any longer. Jaunt, once a VR video company, is now shifting its focus to augmented reality. An understandable decision, even though the future of AR is still in question at this time.
Jaunt Takes a Different Approach
In the early days of VR video, jaunt was widely considered to be one of the industry’s catalysts. They help spur the growth of virtual reality video, yet the company hasn’t achieved any significant successes ever since. That is not necessarily Jaunt’s fault, but it is more of a side effect affecting the virtual reality industry as a whole. Stagnating growth usually doesn’t bode well for companies active in this industry.
For Jaunt, the lack of immediate success has forced the company to make a crucial decision. Instead of focusing on just VR-related services, the firm shifts to augmented reality. This also means its staff will go through a reorganization, and many members will be let go over the coming weeks and months. From this point forward, the company will focus on developing technologies which can create AR content on a large scale.
The company explains its course change as follows:
“We will be winding down a number of VR products and content services in the coming weeks, This unfortunately means that some of our valued and highly talented colleagues will be moving on … These highly skilled individuals have contributed to our position as a leader in the immersive industry, and the decision to let them go was incredibly difficult.”
Given the growing focus on augmented reality by major companies, the decision by Jaunt makes a lot of sense. Industry giants including Facebook, Google, and Apple are all dedicating a lot of effort to augmented reality, rather than just betting on VR. This doesn’t mean Jaunt will abandon VR altogether, as there is still a significant overlap with AR in their current states.
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