With the new year upon us, the big question is what the future holds for virtual reality. More specifically, it remains to be seen what type of hardware and content will come our way moving forward. Although all of this is still subject to major speculation right now, there are some trends well worth keeping an eye on as we speak. Do keep in mind everything mentioned in this article will always be subject to change.
A Glimpse Into the Future for VR
More virtual reality hardware will come to market in the year 2018. That much is almost a guarantee, although it remains to be seen which companies can effectively meet their deadlines. Facebook, HTC, Lenovo, and Magic Leap are just a few of the companies worth keeping an eye on in this regard. All of these companies are working on AR, VR, or Mixed Reality headsets which will [hopefully] help elevate virtual reality to a whole new level at some point.
As is always the case with new hardware, there may be some delays regarding shipping and delivery. If the first generation of VR headsets is any indication, delays of up to three months can be expected. It would be interesting to see all manufacturers prove us wrong in this regard, though, but one never knows what the future will bring in this regard. It is evident the ecosystem is ready for more advanced VR hardware, but it remains to be seen if companies can effectively deliver the goods.
On the content front, things are finally improving as well. More specifically, some new VR experiences will come to market in the coming months. TV Networks have shown a keen interest in effectively introducing more VR content, although it remains to be seen how all of that will play out. Especially popular sports are making a name for themselves in virtual reality, but it will be interesting to see if other types of experiences will make inroads as well.
Moreover, the Disney-backed VR startup Jaunt VR is of great interest to a lot of enthusiasts. They want to produce a lot of content for this specific medium moving forward, which can only be considered to be a good thing. Their first of seven films on the Olympic Channel should come to market very soon.Although these efforts are substantial, there is still a lot of work to be done before the ecosystem is effectively evolving properly.
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