If there is one thing the virtual reality industry lacks, it has to be engaging applications. More specifically, there are plenty of games and visual experiences, but no real apps to speak of. Qualcomm has launched a reality show competition to help alleviate this problem. This show is comprised of three VR developers who compete to build the best VR app. Episodes can be found on YouTube, which is an interesting choice.
Qualcomm Wants People to Build VR Apps
It is evident there is a growing need for better virtual reality applications. Who will build those applications, remains to be determined, though. Creating a reality competition to entice more people to focus on this industry is one way to go. Qualcomm’s new competition focuses on three different VR app developers who are competing against one another. This YouTube show goes by the name of VR Developer Challenge and can be watched free of charge.
What makes this particular reality show so interesting is how the game developers are paired with YouTube stars. This should yield in some very hilarious content for the viewer, and hopefully proper VR apps as well. Not only can this be a major content success for YouTube, but it may also put a more positive spotlight on the VR industry as a whole. After all, virtual reality is still a very niche market right now, and solving that situation will not be easy whatsoever.
Although only three VR developers may not sound like much, it is still a good start. Every developer is given one full month to create a project of their choosing using the Qualcomm standalone headset. It is more advanced than most mobile VR headsets, and poses and represents an interesting platform for the developers to interact with.All of these developers have plenty of experience developing for other platforms, and the results should be rather interesting to observe.
It is expected the winner of this competition to be picked on December 8th. The winner will receive $20,000 for their efforts, whereas the other two will receive $2,500 each. It will be rather interesting to see how the general public responds to this type of content and whether or not any decent VR apps will be built. It is good to see Qualcomm acknowledge something will need to change for this industry sooner or later. Engaging a broader audience is the main objective for all parties involved, that much is evident.
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