Money-making or big trend? Who is the most scheming boy in the VR world in 2016?

As early as last year, 2015, some industry insiders called it the first year of VR. This year, whether it is CES 2016 at the beginning of the year, MWC2016 just held, or the upcoming CES Asia, I believe that you, with your discerning eyes, have to admit that VR virtual reality technology, which has stolen the limelight at major exhibitions, has swept all fields with a hot trend. Whether in terms of entertainment content such as VR variety shows, VR games, VR novels, etc., or professional video shooting, VR film industry, many technology giants have begun to lay out, and the pattern has begun to take shape and become clearer and clearer. It is rumored that recently, the well-known director Zhang Yimou has also begun to enter the VR field and plans to shoot VR movies in the future... So, with the current popularity of virtual reality technology, is it a way to make money or a general trend? How can you fight your way out of the siege? Who will become the "scheming boy" who seizes the opportunity to lay out the VR industry in 2016?

●A brief history of VR: the past and present of virtual reality

I believe that everyone knows that the hottest technology in the field of smart wearables is virtual reality VR. Many friends may think that it has only emerged in the past one or two years, but it is not the case. In fact, as early as 1960, more than 50 years ago, film photographer Morton Heilig submitted a patent application for a VR device called "stereoscopic television device for personal use". It took 50 years until today for the popular Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR to finally appear. So what unknown long-term developments have taken place during this period?

1960 Cinematographer Morton Heilig VR device patent application (Source: csdn)

Just search Baidu for the earliest "concept" VR headset, and you will find a lot of huge equipment about "Sensorama Simulator (1967)", which was the first VR system in history constructed by Heilig in 1967. Sensorama Simulator can provide a real 3D experience. Not only can you see three-dimensional, colorful, and changing pictures, but you can also hear stereo sound, feel the bumps, the wind blowing on your face, and smell the corresponding fragrance. This is equivalent to the earliest multi-sensory simulated environment virtual reality system.

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NASA-Ames, a VR helmet launched by NASA in the 1980s (Source: Wtoutiao)

In the following years, some VR devices with prototypes gradually emerged, from the head-mounted VR device invented by Ivan Sutherland, the father of computer graphics, and his student Bob Sproull in 1968 - the Sword of Damocles (1968), to the wide field of view extra-perspective system LeepVR (1980s) (abbreviated as LEEP system) invented by Eric Howlett in the 1980s, to several VR helmet devices launched by NASA in the 1980s, such as NASA-Ames. From the most primitive concepts and principles to concrete VR head-mounted display devices, from the initial stereoscopic televisions to simulated aircraft in the aerospace field, the development in recent years can be described as earth-shaking.

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Nintendo released the 3D game console VIRTUAL BOY in 1995 (Source: digi.163)

By the 1990s, many major game companies began to pay attention to VR technology. At that time, Sega once hoped to launch a virtual reality game device, Sega VR (1993), to promote a grand and realistic 3D game experience, but it finally remained in the conceptual stage and was not really put on the market. But in 1995, Nintendo released the then quite advanced head-mounted virtual visual game console - VIRTUAL BOY, but it did not sell well at the time and gradually disappeared after many years; but I heard that Nintendo recently plans to get involved in VR game equipment again, which is worth looking forward to. In 2000, SEOS HMD 120/40 (2000s) was finally formed, with a viewing angle of 120°, but it weighed 2.5 pounds (1.13 kg), which was not very popular.

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The past and present of the development of VR technology (Source: Internet)

Looking at the more than 50 years of development of virtual display VR, from the initial huge multi-functional system equipment to the lightweight and portable headsets that can hide various hidden features today, to the most popular virtual reality device recently, Oculus Rift, which has released three generations of products in just a few years, it is not difficult to find that the development of science and technology is often the result of years of accumulation and the crystallization of human wisdom.

●Busy planning to seize the opportunity? Big players are disrupting the VR market

If you could use other new and unique technology devices to make the case earlier, now you have to admit that the growing VR industry is unstoppable. In addition to the super-hot shipments of Facebook's Oculus Rift, THC Vive, Samsung Gear VR, and Sony PlayStation VR have also been shipped to users one after another. More domestic and foreign giants such as Google, Apple, Intel, AMD, etc. have also made arrangements and rushed to enter the VR field. Even many luxury brands have begun to use VR virtual reality devices to provide users with clothing try-on experience.

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Facebook's Oculus Rift has good shipments (Source: Tencent)

Since it is the first year of VR, how can Intel and AMD, the giants in the global chip industry, not get involved? From PC to VR, Intel and AMD have frequently staged a happy competition of love and hate. However, compared with AMD's AR/VR all-in-one machine, Intel is still independent and does not plan to launch VR devices for the consumer market. It also hinted that the developed device may be different from the various VR headsets we see now, and vowed to carry out black technology to the end.

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Intel is developing a non-commercial AR headset (Source: Yahoo)

As a veteran in the mobile phone industry, Samsung Gear VR has successfully attracted the attention and favor of consumers, so Apple certainly cannot lag behind. Earlier, when the outside world was still speculating whether the news that Apple might get involved in the VR field was reliable, Apple's official website actually launched a portable virtual reality helmet called "View-Master" priced at only 29.95 yuan (about 197 yuan). I believe this will definitely make a large number of VR equipment enthusiasts feel that "happiness comes too suddenly". The official website has many pictures for everyone to experience.

Only $29.95! Apple's first virtual reality VR helmet is quietly available

Although it started late, the development of virtual reality technology has been very dynamic recently for the reform and innovation and relatively active domestic market. Earlier, after domestic Internet and e-commerce giants such as Tencent and 360 successively developed their own VR head-mounted display devices, Xiaomi finally couldn't sit still and decided to set up a future laboratory to develop VR, but was once again beaten by Huawei... Huawei's 360° visual/sound field synchronized mobile VR, HUAWEI VR, which has just been released, can provide clear visual presentation comparable to Samsung Gear VR with its outstanding performance such as 20ms latency. Let's experience it.

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Huawei releases HUAWEI VR

It can be seen that whether it is to plan ahead and seize the opportunity, or to "change careers halfway" and make money while the market is hot, seeing the giants and bigwigs all disrupting the VR market, we also believe that the development of domestic VR technology should soon reach a different level.

● VR industry diversification: 360° panoramic cameras are popular

If you still think that VR headsets are only used for playing games, then you are too cliché. With the diversified development of the VR industry, once there is a virtual reality headset, there must be VR resources to watch. In addition to some games, movies, and short videos, it is also a great idea to use 360-degree panoramic shooting equipment to shoot VR videos! Because of this, VR equipment that can shoot panoramic shots has also become popular.

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Nokia OZO VR Camera, a professional video shooting tool (Source: CNET)

This $60,000 Nokia panoramic capture VR device, Nokia OZO VR Camera, which attracted countless attention as soon as it was released earlier, is equipped with 8 cameras and integrated microphones, which can record 3D stereo video and audio space in all directions. Through wireless operation, it can store the recorded video and all data into a single file, or capture live broadcasts, bringing more fun to your life.

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Samsung launched a 360-degree panoramic VR camera at MWC1016 (Source: CNET)

In addition to Nokia OZO, which is aimed at professional video shooting, the 360-degree panoramic VR cameras launched by Samsung and LG at MWC1016 this year have also become the focus of everyone's attention. Of course, there are also Samsung Gear 360 VR and LG 360 VR headsets. These are different from the "bulky" VR devices we have seen in the past. Their new VR devices, both in terms of appearance and price, make us sigh that the development of VR technology is really amazing!

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LG's 360° VR panoramic camera (Source: CNET)

Whether it is Samsung Gear 360 VR, LG 360 VR or Nokia OZO, after capturing 360-degree pixel photos and 4k videos, you can watch them with a dedicated VR phone or a VR headset, and then these complete 360x180-degree viewing angles can be displayed in front of you, allowing you to experience the immersive content. Imagine that the VR movies and VR entertainment programs we see in the future are likely to have a super realistic experience.

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Facebook launches its own 360° VR panoramic camera (Source: CNET)

Even Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that he hopes to use virtual reality equipment to record the process of his daughter just learning to walk! Recently, the company has also launched its own 360° VR panoramic camera, you can experience it. It seems that the bigwigs who saw the opportunity and laid out the VR field early on are still quite insightful, because with the diversified development of the VR industry, VR may have more possibilities in the future.

Want to play VR games? You must have these first

When many people think of VR, they more or less think of VR games first. As the saying goes, you need a complete set to show off. If you only buy a bare VR headset and want to experience the VR world and play various 3D games right away, then the ending will still leave you "confused". Because many popular headsets, including Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, not only require many supporting components of input and output hardware devices such as VR gloves, handheld controllers, VR PCs, VR treadmills or turntables to complete the experience, but of course, in addition to hardware, a large amount of corresponding software is also indispensable. Without a variety of games and other APPs, you can't play. I believe that with the support of professional art, it should not be too difficult for many traditional 3D game manufacturers to switch to VR in the future.

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Sony PlayStation VR launches pre-sale $499 bundle (Source: CNET)

For example, recently, I believe that what makes the majority of game fans excited is the much-anticipated $399 Sony PlayStation VR killer, but $399 is just the price of the bare machine! Because this is only the price of the bare machine, if you want to truly experience the perfect features of PS VR, you also need to equip the whole set, and you also need to buy a camera (priced at about $59) and a handle (priced at about $49). Especially for non-PS4 users, you also need to buy a PS4 of about $360. In this way, the whole set is probably more than $800! However, it also launched a pre-sale bundle of $499, but despite this, it is still much lower than the price of Oculus Rift CV1 and HTC Vive.

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A mini VR gaming PC launched by high-end machine brand ORIGIN (Source: CNET)

After preparing a full set of VR equipment, as a necessary equipment for playing pre-virtual reality VR games, VR desktop equipment must also have high configuration. This has made the VR desktop equipment market active, and VR desktop computers have become the object of major manufacturers to get involved.

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Oculus Rift (Source: engadget)

As the two major mainstream virtual reality headsets, Oculus Rift and HTC both require a processor, desktop graphics card, and a desktop computer that meets their configurations according to their published system requirements. This has also led to a series of Oculus computer promotions. In addition to the earlier Dell XPS 8900, the high-end computer brand ORIGIN recently launched a mini VR gaming PC. Seeing its cool shape and high configuration, I believe you are also looking forward to VR games.

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Battlezone

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VR game apps for Google Cardboard on YouTube (Source: TechRadar)

Compared with the expensive prices of Oculus Rift (priced at $599) and HTC Vive (priced at $799), we should thank Google Cardboard, a low-end and affordable VR device that costs less than $50, for allowing ordinary people to experience the wonderful visual experience brought by virtual reality. On foreign websites such as YouTube and other video websites, you only need a smartphone and a Google Cardboard headset to experience many Cardboard-exclusive game apps, which are simple and easy to use. Of course, if there are sufficient application and game App resources for other brands of VR headsets, it would be even better.

●Money-making or trend: Who is the scheming boy in the VR world?

Seeing the unstoppable development momentum of the VR industry, whether it is the early layout to seize the opportunity or the current hot money-making, how to become the "scheming boy" who seizes the opportunity in the VR world seems to be the top priority for the development of the protagonists in the industry. And as the entertainment industry, film and other industries are also involved in VR, the popularity and advantages of these VR contents are gradually highlighted, and the prospects for the development of VR seem to be even more promising!

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Celebrity (Huang Xiaoming) spends 1 billion to shoot first VR TV series (Source: News.cn)

If you also pay attention to the headlines of various news media, you will find that virtual reality technology has completely "burned" from foreign countries to China. Now many fields in China are also eager to use VR technology to shoot and cover platforms. Look at the current news reports. For example, there were rumors earlier that Guangguang Media has been concentrating on VR research for many years, and recently officially established a VR ecosystem covering multiple aspects such as platforms, equipment, terminals and cloud services, aiming to create Guangguang VR platform, VR shooting equipment, VR terminals, VR cloud and other comprehensive coverage... Hong Qitian Group has launched its VR brand SoReal, and the famous director Zhang Yimou is its co-founder and art director... Huang Xiaoming will also use VR technology in the TV series "A Thousand Miles of Love" that is being prepared... I believe this action will allow more people in China to have a deeper understanding or have the opportunity to directly experience VR.

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Well-known directors are also involved in VR (Source: leiphone)

Of course, in addition to the media industry, the entertainment industry and the sports world have undoubtedly become the most promising development platforms for VR. In addition to the upcoming 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, which will be broadcast in real time in full HD with VR, the singing reality show "I Am a Singer", one of the most popular variety shows on Mango TV in China and introduced from MBC in South Korea, will also work with Mido Entertainment to create "the world's first panoramic and all-round VR video of a top program". If the news is true, then this is not only the first variety show in China to use VR technology, but also the first time in the world that VR is used in a music program.

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"I Am a Singer" introduces VR and becomes the first VR variety show in China (Source: ccidnet)

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"I Am a Singer" introduces VR? Try it on (Source: Sohu)

Although from the beginning, industry insiders believed that VR entertainment content was the most promising part of the VR industry, the current development trend shows that the prospects are also quite impressive; and similar to the "world's first panoramic and all-round VR video of top programs" jointly created by Mango TV's "I Am a Singer" and Mido Entertainment, does it mean that VR technology has begun to impact the entire entertainment industry? Although it is still a little immature, it is undeniable that VR is about to become the next most important medium.

●Promising prospects: How to become the ultimate winner in the VR industry?

Nowadays, VR technology is not only popular in the field of games, but also widely used in military, medicine, architecture, industrial simulation, archaeology, culture and education, agriculture and computer technology, and it is subtly changing people's visual viewing mode. Market research data predicts that the penetration rate of virtual reality devices will reach 17% in 2020, which seems to have a promising future; of course, for those companies that have already invested in the virtual reality market, how can they become the ultimate winner in the VR industry? I believe these issues are the top priorities that everyone is looking forward to.

Illustration of the penetration rate of AR/VR devices in 2020 (Source: bjweekly)

As we all know, if you want to get involved in the VR field and build your own brand, you need to ensure both hardware and software, from the manufacturing of lenses, sensors, displays and other accessories to the assembly and sale of components. The entire industry chain is not just about virtual reality helmets, glasses, joysticks, and auxiliary PCs, and other accessories. For example, Facebook's Oculus Rift helmet and PlayStation VR console helmet have one price for the bare metal and another price for the package. Therefore, one of the conditions for becoming the ultimate winner in the VR industry may be inseparable from the support of a very powerful hardware manufacturer.

Xiao Ma plans to ask Jack Ma to help open up the Oculus Chinese market through Alibaba (Source: 17daili)

Of course, in addition to the strength of hardware manufacturers and the income from hardware sales, the VR market's advertising, game peripherals, video content, e-commerce platform services, etc. are all business opportunities. More importantly, in the Internet era, e-commerce has played a role in promoting the development of the VR field. Just look at Facebook's CEO Pony Ma, who also needs to travel across the ocean to China to find e-commerce companies to sell the Oculus Rift.

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The domestic VR market is booming. The picture shows 3Glasses Blue Amber S1 being worn (Source: Internet)

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Pimax 4K VR uses exclusive 3D sound field virtual 5.1 channel earmuff design

Although the domestic VR market is still in its early stages of development, domestic VR manufacturers have sprung up like mushrooms after rain, and the momentum of development is unstoppable. Data shows that there are more than 90 domestic companies that have developed VR equipment, including well-known ones such as Dapeng, 3Glasses, Ant Vision, Xiaopi, etc. For these companies that have already invested in the virtual reality market, their future business model, funding direction and revenue issues are all related to the long-term development of a brand in the future.

●Editor’s opinion:

VR virtual reality technology brings us not only gaming entertainment, but also practical applications; especially for ordinary people like us, in the past, the most common virtual reality was the scenes seen in movies, and we never thought that this kind of thing would become a real thing worth hundreds of dollars. Just like when we first learned that the pre-order price of the Oculus Rift V2 kit was only $350, we found that the high-end black technology in the past finally came down from the "altar" and entered the vision of the general public. It is not certain now, but perhaps in the near future you will ask again: What has virtual reality changed? The answer: Maybe the world!