Commentary
Innovators seek viable model for consumer VR/AR/MR
CES acted as a 'last-chance-saloon' to prove the bankability of the much-hyped consumer application of the tech. Especially so as manufacturers pivoted to ride the mixed reality and spatial computing/AR coattails of Apple rather than follow the VR coattails of Meta.
February 12, 2024 by Kevin Williams
The drive to establish a believable business model for consumer virtual reality and augmented reality played the pivotal battle of survival on the Las Vegas show floor at the recent CES show, formerly Consumer Electronic Show.
Where last year's CES was filled to the brim with "metaverse" promotion, that term was near invisible this year. Now replaced, many of the products at the 2024 event boasted some sort of AI in their marketing and list of features, but it was the need to establish a business for VR/AR/MR that turned many heads at the show.
CES acted as a "last-chance-saloon" to prove the bankability of the much-hyped consumer application of the tech. Especially so as manufacturers pivoted to ride the mixed reality and spatial computing/AR coattails of Apple rather than follow the VR coattails of Meta.
Apple used CES to fire its starting gun for the relaunch of its headset technology — a pivotal product for the XR headset industry, following its Vision Pro introduction last year. The launch of a $3,000-plus XR headset is expected as early as this month.
The rest of the VR and AR scene is scrambling to ride a perceived consumer and media wave against a backdrop of stalling conventional VR aspirations.
Innovators on the move
Exhibitor Letin showed its "Nimo One" see-through smart glasses, equipped with the LetinAR FrotinAR Pro optical system, supporting generative AI through spatial productivity.
Meanwhile, Vuzix, a supplier of smart glasses and AR technology, announced the expansion of its Vuzix Ultralite OEM PlatformSM with its new Ultralite S AR smart glasses, aimed in part at sports and fitness users.
Sony used the show to launch an MR headset aimed at 3D creativity.
Sony has also partnered with Siemens to employ its NX CAD software. The yet-unbranded headset offers 4k OLED display and has a unique controller, and represents one of the first releases using the partnership with Qualcomm, with the XR2+ Gen 2 processor.
Google, another Qualcomm XR2+ Gen 2 partner, has been working on its own AR headset — but, in a surprise announcement, has abandoned the project to focus on a new MR-focused platform. This tempestuous process also saw the departure of prominent executives steering the corporation's VR and AR initiative.
AR was also represented as a museum application from Bavart, which showed its smart device AR app for exhibits, a gamification experience for gallery and museum application.
Magic Leap, now owned by Saudi concerns, invested some $590 million to compete with Apple's entry into the spatial computing/AR market, following an earlier $4 billion investment.
It is not yet known if this investment will be to pivot, once again, into releasing a consumer platform after abandoning this approach for an enterprise facing business model.
DPVR, a Chinese headset manufacturer, showed a range of new VR headsets. Part of this investment has seen enterprise partnerships, one such being with amusement powerhouse Raw Thrills, bringing its new "Godzilla Kaiju Wars VR" machine.
Raw Thrills had previously partnered with HP for its Reverb VR headset, but HP abandoned the market suddenly and sunsetted the headset, leaving DPVR to fill the vacuum.
The company's new headset, DPVR E4C, is designed for VR arcade application.
LBE enclosures
Sony also offered an immersive enclosure using projection mapping and tracked movement allowing attendees to interact with the virtual Ghostbusters experience. This represents an example of immersive screen technology and a snapshot of technology already penetrating the LBE scene.
Active Entertainment offered the floor projection mapped experience with its "DiDim" smart playground, featuring a movement tracked, multiuser experience. The system represents an AR/MR physical fitness experience, initially intended for schools and leisure venues.
Some exhibitors channeled the spirit of location-based entertainment in their booth designs — one striking example being SK Innovation, which created its "SK Wonderland." This borrowed from the theme park and fairground style, with presentations on the booth including a "Dancing Car" attraction with robot arms and a projection mapped model.
SK Innovation also had an AI powered Fortune Teller and a Magic Carpet attraction, the latter employing a suspended four-rider motion platform and the latest large screen display to offer a unique soaring experience.
SK Innovation also offered a people mover, Rail Road, traveling through immersive areas using large screen displays, showcasing net zero activities with the Rainbow Tube display of waste plastic handling and recycling.
Bytedance, meanwhile, cancelled PICO's planned PICO 5 VR headset in favor of a new platform under the "Project Swan" name. This will be a direct competitor to the Apple Vision Pro, and not a dedicated VR headset.
This abandonment of a VR platform for an Apple competitor in the MR field, mirrors what has happened at Google and Samsung — as well as being reminiscent of the departure from VR development that HP undertook.
Only a few days after this news, it was revealed that enterprise-facing VR/MR headset manufacturer Varjo has also discontinued its Varjo series platform — a platform that had been aimed for consumer sales. The corporation confirmed it would still offer support up to 2025, but further information on this move was limited at the time of going to the wire.
The new year promises extensive innovation in the immersive reality space.
(Editor's note: Extracts from this blog are from recent coverage in The Stinger Report, published by Spider Entertainment and its director, Kevin Williams, the leading interactive out-of-home entertainment news service covering the immersive frontier and beyond.)
About Kevin Williams
Along with advisory positions with other entrants into the market he is founder and publisher of the Stinger Report, “a-must-read” e-zine for those working or investing in the amusement, attractions and entertainment industry. He is a prolific writer and provides regular news columns for main trade publications. He also travels the globe as a keynote speaker, moderator and panelist at numerous industry conferences and events. Author of “The Out-of-Home Immersive Entertainment Frontier: Expanding Interactive Boundaries in Leisure Facilities,” the only book on this aspect of the market, with the second edition scheduled for a 2023 release.
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