VR & AR: past, present, and future

2017LooksBright

July 20th, 2017

Virtual Reality: a Brief History

1939

1991

View-Master invented

First VR arcade games

1993 Sega VR

1995Nintendo Virtual Boy

Not actually VR!

2014 - 2016Explosion of Home VR Devices

06/2014 Google Cardboard

11/2015 Samsung Gear VR (by Oculus)

03/2016 Oculus Rift

04/2016 HTC Vive

11/2016 Google Daydream

10/2016 Playstation VR

08/2012 Succesful Oculus Rift Kickstarter

06/2014 Google Cardboard

• Foldable HMD

• Smartphone acts as stereoscopic

display

06/2014 Google Cardboard

• Foldable HMD

• Smartphone acts as stereoscopic

display

• Gyroscope used to determine

orientation

• Moving your head moves the virtual

camera exactly like how moving the

mouse moves the camera in a game

• Input: gaze and single button

• Price: $ 87

• Higher end than Google Cardboard

• Smartphone acts as stereoscopic

display

• Gyroscope used to determine

orientation

• Moving your head moves the virtual

camera exactly like how moving the

mouse moves the camera in a game

• Input: gaze, button, and directional

pad

• Price: $ 440

11/2015 Samsung Gear VR (by Oculus)

• Higher end than Samsung Gear

• Built-in screen

• Tracks position as well as orientation,

using external cameras

• Tethered to a gaming PC

• Hand tracking with optional Oculus

Touch controllers

• Room scale tracking optional

• Price: $ 1,310

03/2016 Oculus Rift

• Higher end than Oculus Rift

• Built-in screen

• Tracks position as well as orientation,

using external base stations (IR

lasers)

• Tethered to a gaming PC

• Hand tracking with default Vive

controllers

• More reliable room scale tracking

• Price: $ 1,450

04/2016 HTC Vive

Augmented Reality: a Brief History

1992 Boeing coins the term Augmented Reality

1992 Virtual Fixtures

1999 ARToolkit

• Smartphone/tablet with RGB camera

• Recognizes dedicated marker images

• Allows positioning 3D content relative

to marker images

• Not aware of the environment

2011 Qualcomm AR / Vuforia

08/2016 Google Tango: Lenovo Phab 2 Pro

• Smartphone with RGB and depth

camera

• Implements SLAM algorithm:

Simultaneous Locating and Mapping

• Markerless

• Allows positioning 3D content relative

to any point in the environment

• Interaction with the environment

possible

• Price: $ 450

03/2016 Microsoft HoloLens

• RGB and depth camera

• Implements SLAM algorithm:

Simultaneous Locating and Mapping

• Markerless

• Wearable as glasses

• Built-in computer

• Impressively reliable tracking

• Limited field of view

• Price: $ 3,000

VR and AR: Stats

VR and AR devices pricing (with PC and/or phone)

VR and AR devices units sold until June 2017(various sources + rough estimates)

The future of VR and AR

Future of AR and VR: Sales

• Slower than forecasted start: total in 2016: $4.4 bn in 2016

• Most expect growth, up to $100 bn 2021, some more skeptical

• VR: faster

• AR: slower but bigger

Future of AR and VR: Features

• VR and AR merging into devices capable of both (Mixed Reality / XR)

• Outside-in tracking disappearing in favor of inside-out tracking / SLAM

• Further technology improvements, mainly display resolution

• Untethered experiences, built-in computers

-17,000

1532

Contact info

bernard.francois@previewlabs.com