2016 has seen a gigantic leap in interest in virtual reality technologies, and many major companies are in competition to roll even more innovations in 2017. VR displays, streaming solutions, audio integration and wearable technologies like headsets and gloves are making VR technology more cost-effective and consumer-ready than ever.
Check out these companies that are on the forefront of VR innovation, and deserve attention as they surf the leading edge of the space.
1. Eyefluence
Jim Marggraff’s startup, Eyefluence, has painstakingly created technology that allows users to use only their eyes to click, tap, and manipulate tech. Marggraff, the man who invented the LeapPad tablet for kids, believes that using the eyes will foster a more natural experience in VR, bolstering security with iris scans and alleviating nausea that some VR users experience.
Though there has been some skepticism regarding whether or not eye-controlled interfaces are viable, Marggraff has an ace in his pocket. In 2012, Marggraff bought Eye-Com and all its assets, a research company led by neurologist William Torch and funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Transportation and the Department of Defense. Using the technology from this acquisition, Eyefluence built an eye-machine interface that acts only on intentional looks and ignores incidental ones ― this advanced tech could possibly change how all VR users experience their headsets.
2. Visbit
Visbit Inc. is a Silicon Valley startup dedicated to develop the next generation of visual technologies and products. Visbit develops a view-optimized VR streaming solution that can deliver and play 4K to 8K high resolution 360° VR videos at regular WIFI and LTE condition, enabling high quality VR content to be accessed by the majority of mobile users. Based on that, Visbit offers cloud streaming service to help premium VR content publishers deliver their best quality VR videos to their users.
3. Apple
Not surprisingly, Apple is the front runner for cost-effective, easy to use VR tech, according to leaked patent plans for a VR headset that integrates an iPhone 7. With this patent and the move to an AMOLED (active-matrix organic light-emitting diode) display for the iPhone, Apple’s positioned itself to be a frontrunner for VR tech. Though Apple may not ever produce the headset, the AMOLED display will push other phone-integrating headsets to better tech and faster iteration.
4. Alcatel
If you’re looking for a cheap-ish standalone VR headset, the Alcatel Vision is a great start. But beyond their headset affordability, Alcatel recently acquired Fraunhofer Cingo and the company’s high-quality audio codec, High Efficiency AAC (HE-AAC), into the Vision. Fraunhofer Cingo’s unrivaled immersive audio creates a stunning level of realism that creates the feeling of “being there” through surround sound and ambisonic (above and below in addition to left and right channels) audio. This sound technology will completely change how users expect their VR to sound, and they should be watched.
5. Nvidia
When it comes to Graphics Processing Units, or GPU, there are essentially two companies in the rivalry: Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD). NVIDIA dominates with about 66% of the discrete GPU market, and AMD picks up the rest.
However, Nvidia’s three just-released notebook graphics cards add VR-ready capability to notebooks ― a difficult task ― but the company is expanding that powerful capability even further to include uber-powerful server computers which could possibly power VR gaming from the cloud. This positions Nvidia as a forerunner as VR grows, because it will be difficult for PCs, even with Nvidia cards in them, to keep up with the heavy processing VR requires. Cloud servers are the answer, and NVIDIA is already making waves in the space with its DGX-1 Deep Learning System supercomputer.
While there will always be new companies to watch, these 5 are ones to keep a close eye on as VR moves into 2017. Changes abound and these frontrunners will be leading the charge.