2016 was a great year for Virtual Reality. It wasn’t THE year but it was a great year for an introductory investment phase for content and hardware. The Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and PlayStation VR all landed this year leading the industry towards a bright future. Price points and other issues setback mainstream adoption, however. Mobile VR has greatly improved and is perhaps the easiest way for people to experience an introductory level of Virtual Reality. 2017 is a promising year to be “The Big Boom” of this industry. If it’s not 2017 it’s going to be 2018, lots of things can change in a single year especially with all of these components and circumstances.

2017 Predictions for VR: Eventfotografie Berlin — Virtual Reality Event

1. VR Content will Improve and Multiply

Let’s face it. Virtual Reality Apps aren’t the best. This technology is in the beginning stages of development where perfection isn’t the main priority. Companies and developers are too busy focusing on the actual functionality of the product and how much money they can make off it (not a lot). Once people see that one amazing full-scale big AAA game they will jump into VR instantly. More developers will enter VR app development because of the expanding market, hence the bigger opportunity for financial gain. On top of this, many companies have invested research into VR technology that will pay off in 2017 with various product launches (Headsets, Capturing Technology, Games, Applications, and more)

2. Mobile VR Headsets will become Mainstream

As it stands the average consumer doesn’t have a surefire way to enter the VR field. They could buy a PS4 and then purchase a Playstation VR system but even then there’s a $800+ price point that limits people from getting this technology. The easiest way for people to enter in the market right now is with a Mobile VR Headset that is compatible with their smartphone. There are tons of manufacturers that already have headsets in stores online today with various features and capabilities, and that number is only expected to rise as popularity grows. You can use this tool to find which Headsets are compatible for your smartphone here.

The App Store and Google Play Store only have a limited number of applications available. Based on reason #1 this amount of content is anticipated to exponentially increase in 2017, as mobile VR headsets will as well. Almost every aspect of VR is expected to experience parallel growth.

3. Big Players and even Bigger Players

There are some major companies getting involved in the VR space because they see it’s potential and their chance to get their foot in the market share. We’ve already seen Facebook purchase Oculus at its startup phase for a whopping $2 billion. Rebekah Iliff; CSO at AirPR recently wrote a Virtual Reality based article for Inc. She says “Dell, for one, is actively applying VR in their own business environment — not just through technology, but through application — bringing VR creation to the masses. The company has also developed a line of workstations specifically catered to VR content creation. The idea is to bring VR experiences to the masses by democratizing the technology to build it.”

Liam Quinn, CTO, Dell Technologies says “We’ve been talking with many of our customers and partners in this field who have amazing ideas and are more eager than ever for comprehensive technical solutions that are both powerful and accessible,” says “We’ve been focused on delivering intelligent and immersive computing experiences for years. Now, there’s a wider market for it, the implications of which are far-reaching and yet to be seen.”

4. Power of VR Technology will Advance and Expand (Touch, Smell, Taste)

Next year, there’s going to be a major upgrade to the current visual components that compose VR today. Just like video games as hardware technology advances, so do the graphics. With the recent emergence of 4k tv’s, we already have an extremely high-resolution solution. The current issue that faces developers is the speed and bit size of Virtual Reality technology, but that is presumed to be solved in 2017. According to AMD gaming scientist Richard Huddy, for a person with 20/20 vision to process photorealistic graphics, 16K resolution is required. Anything is possible, especially in the technology field. To reach the point where Virtual Reality is indistinguishable from reality, technology would have to reach 16k resolution.

David Howard, head of the Audio Laboratory at the University of York says “Taste, they say, is generated largely through the sense of smell, but they are considering a mouthpiece that could simulate different textures of things that you’re chewing on. Put it all together and they think they can trick the brain into looking around, smelling the orange, feeling the tree’s bark, hearing the birds and saying, “I’m in an orchard.” Howard’s final note is “The brain will suspend the belief of where it actually is.”

There’s actually a company called FEELREAL that has a VR mask and helmet that allows you to feel, smell, hear, and see your environment in Virtual Reality. The product is on pre-order and will set you back close to $1000 and there’s no telling how accurate the device will be.

5. VR will get Social — Multiplayer Applications & Games

Like most things that have become popular in our lives they were adopted by the mainstream because of their social features and capabilities. The Guardian’s Alex Hern says “Of course, Zuckerberg isn’t interested in owning a gaming company, even a successful one. He bought Oculus with the stated intention of offering far more than just better video games. “Imagine enjoying a court side seat at a game, studying in a classroom of students and teachers all over the world or consulting with a doctor face-to-face — just by putting on goggles in your home,” he wrote in the post announcing the company’s acquisition. “

Lastly, Virtual Reality will be the next new Social Media stage. You’re going to be able to communicate and see your friend that’s across the country in VR space. At the moment, there’s a VR social network called vTime that allows anyone, anywhere to spend quality time with family and friends in virtual reality. These applications and technologies within VR that enable growth are only expected to improve and grow in the year 2017.

If 2017 isn’t THE Year of VR, 2018 will be…

Virtual Reality is approaching us rapidly. We should all embrace this technology and discover the ways in which it could benefit our lives. I shared 5 talking points in this article but there are many more.

I am sure you have some ideas on how VR will change our lives. Share them with me on my social media.