Virtual Reality is slowly making a leap to mainstream markets. Thanks to the Samsung VR and the Oculus by Facebook, the general public is suddenly more accepting of a world existing through the screen of a smartphone.
Virtual Reality Interest
Although games are the main attraction for VR consumers, technologist are working swiftly to bring VR to industries worldwide.
“We are working diligently to provide value to businesses through the use of Virtual Reality. We are seeing a peaked interest in the Northeast Florida marketplace, our goal is to help business owners understand the importance and usefulness of VR,” said Dr. Jeff Shuford Founder of Tech From Vets.
The issues that continue to plague Virtual Reality innovators is the lack of demand from consumers. The technology definitely has the “cool” factor but currently lacks the monetary returns.
Virtual Reality Sales
Technology companies are spending thousands of dollars hoping that Virtual Reality is the next bug industry to disrupt the marketplace. The VR market is moving rapidly in Atlanta. The local population is embracing and enjoying the benefits of Virtual Reality. Atlanta currently hosts numerous events that bring the VR community together:
“On January 12, 2017, VR Day ATL will bring together key stakeholders from government, higher education, developers, students, and companies ranging from global brands to startups,” stated VR Day, LLC.
The event will be attended by hundreds of curious participants eager to see the development of Virtual Reality. To understand how the VR industry is growing, consider sales from VR manufacturers to be a promising sign. Samsung Gear VR sold 5 million devices, Oculus Rift sold 3.6 million, HTC Vive sold 2.1 million, and the Sony Morpheus sold 1.4 million devices in 2016.
Virtual Reality Attention
Retired NFL Superstar and Technologist Drayton Florence will be attending VR Day ATL as well as many other prominent business and technology leaders, and Florence had this to say on the event:
“Our technology company is always interested in innovating our methods and practices. Our jump into Virtual Reality in a market that is practically new to this technology leaves us in an interesting situation. We want to see what other players in the VR space are doing and possibly form partnerships with emerging VR companies like ours.”
According to the market research firm Tractica, 20 million units could be sold this year, including all types of VR headsets and accompanying controllers and accessories. From Jeff Rische, director of sales at Lightspeed:
“I can get a half dozen people to sit down and say, ˜’Wow.’ But how do you make money off of that?”
The VR industry looks similar to the website boom in the late 90’s. Virtual Reality has to power to change how we communicate, connect, and tell stories.