Facebook, Microsoft gear up for Virtual Reality: Is it the next big thing?

British television presenter Rachel Riley shows a virtual-reality headset called Gear VR. AP

After years of ground work, it seems the battlefield for virtual reality is finally gearing up.

While Google, Samsung and Facebook are racing to be the first to launch their respective products, others like Microsoft have already managed to impress many with the Hololens. After all, virtual reality seems enormous and very promising. Imagine, putting on a pair of goggles or headgear, and being transported into a different world. The man-meets-machines kind, but everything stays within your mind. Now, doesn’t that sound cool?

“Interest in Head Mounted Display devices, which power virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and other smartglass apps, will be such that, by 2018, the technology behind them will be used in a variety of consumer and business scenarios,” a Gartner report had said.

Going beyond gaming. Image: TheVerge

The report added that HMD devices were more popular in 2014 than at any point in the past. Prior to that HMDs were mainly found in certain apps like industrial design, military training and likewise. Needless to say, Facebook’s acquisition of Oculus in 2014 played a major role in bringing this change.

There is a long history of the development of the technology, but will stylish eyewear ensure broader adoption of the technology. It leaves several such answered questions. Let’s take a look at them, one by one.

Going beyond gaming
The world of virtual reality is synonymous with gaming. “Virtual reality is primarily focused around gaming because it is the most immediate application that can be monetised,” Shiv Putcha Associate Director, Consumer Mobility & AP Telco Strategies, IDC tells us. So, we’ve got technology that is futuristic, but there are not too many use cases that have a clear connect to money. It will need more ROI till people start investing more and more into it. However, the gaming base is a good way to kickstart the technology on the path to becoming mainstream. So, will it go beyond gaming? It is a little early to say if it will go beyond gaming. There are certain used cases, but it many not be really a business-focussed thing in the near future, he adds.

Mobile will drive VR, and vice versa

Today, dedicated hardware is required for virtual reality such as Oculus and so on. It doesn’t connect with a smartphone, tablet or console. In the gaming space, eventually, you can imagine an end-game where a VR headgear takes the place of the console, maybe.

The other possibility is it can be coupled to your device with some other hardware or app. For example, if you are on a headgear and taking notes, you will need a connection with a stylus or or other input mechanism. However, it is also possible that very few may really choose to wear a headgear. It is, therefore, quite likely that all devices may connect to the virtual reality but may not necessarily be wearables.

On the contrary, virtual reality could also drive mobile. It could be the reason for enhancements in processing power, chip capability, and other things that will have an affect once VR becomes mainstream. You smartphone could eventually become a hub for VR and connected devices.

Failed Google Glass: The first lesson?

It took years of groundwork and some interesting products before the smartwatch finally went mainstream. Other wearables such as goggles and glasses, will also follow a similar pattern. Google Glass was a high-profile launch, and its failure is bound to have at least some effect on similar wearables.

The Oculus Rift headset (AFP)

Augmented and Virtual Reality: Not the same thing

The two are way apart. Augmented reality is a mix of virtual reality and real life, allowing developers to create images within apps. Users can interact with both worlds and also distinguish between them. AR apps are already popular in the gaming world, and also otherwise. On the other hand, virtual reality is all about creating a virtual world and it is designed in such a way that people can’t really distinguish between virtual and real. To achieve VR, you usually need to wear a gadget such as glasses or helmet that support the functionality.

Google Glass didn’t get much traction, but Google Glass wasn’t driving virtual reality. So, considering VR is a completely different ball game, we still doubt it would have a great impact. Nevertheless, a successful Google Glass could have made things a little easy.

Android power play

Google is rumoured to be working on its own technology for VR. Now, it won’t be surprising if there is a version of Android for VR, after all its a very flexible OS. So, we’ve seen Android Wear, Android Auto and so why not an optimised version for this space?

One advantage – Google will make it available widely. All hardware manufacturers will have access to it. But it will take time, just like wearables that saw a lot of experimentation. “Eventually you will see new devices that will have an impact on the cost. So, will it be a $50 Android smartphone or a watch anytime soon? Probably not. It will follow a similar path, but a different curve,” explains Putcha.

Will it be the next big thing?

Virtual Reality isn’t really the next fad and still has a long way to go. “It will be a few years before virtual reality becomes mainstream. It is just the beginning of the pretty long cycle of development and commercialisation of virtual reality. It isn’t a hype-driven feature that will go away, but rather a long-term thing,” Putcha points out.

The companion technologies are not quite there. To initiate or activate the device you need other things too including connectivity in usable form factor. People may look for other things that you see in smartphones and tablets, and not just the core virtual reality technology. So, unless all the different features don’t come together, it will struggle to go mainstream. You may not see a Google Glass kind-of form factor in a very small time, and still need to put on a sizeable headgear.

Now, even if the device capability and every other creased aspect is ironed out, the connectivity or bandwidth will play a crucial role. The VR device isn’t wired to your laptop, mobile or some other power source. It isn’t just about VR technology to make it a viable consumer proposition.

If it is aimed only at the enterprise segment, then customers may be willing to make certain tradeoffs like the cool quotient or form factor, but in the mainstream consumer market experience matters a great deal. Perhaps virtual reality is a big thing, it’s just not necessarily the next big thing.