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Microsoft's Windows 10 release explains exciting features (Part 8 of 11)
Microsoft’s HoloLens faces stiff competition
Leading technology and gaming companies—like Google (GOOG) (GOOGL), Sony (SNE), Samsung (SSNLF), and Facebook (FB)—are all vying for the virtual reality, or VR, space. Currently, they’re developing products.
Samsung launched the Gear VR headset for VR viewing in December 2014. It requires a Note 4 smartphone to generate the graphics. It’s priced at $200–$300.
Sony provided details about its Project Morpheus headset. The headset will be used with its PlayStation 4 game console.
Oculus is a subsidiary of Facebook. It’s developing the Oculus Rift VR headset. However, the details about the launch of Sony and Oculus’ products haven’t been announced.
VR space is getting a lot of attention
Google’s Google Glass attracted a lot of media attention when its launch was announced. It’s comparable to Microsoft’s (MSFT) HoloLens. It doesn’t block out the real world. It overlays information for the viewer to see. However, the company announced that the Glass project moved to a different development stage. As a result, it won’t be released in its present form anytime soon.
According to a KZero report, the consumer VR market is expected to be $5.2 billion by 2018. As the above chart shows, huge growth is expected in all of the three main consumer VR groups, as classified by Kzero:
Hardcore Gamers/Innovators
Light Gamers/Early Adopters
Kids, Tween, and Teen, or KT&T/Early Majority
Although most of the companies mentioned above haven’t set a specific date or time to launch their products in the VR space, the space is garnering a huge amount of attention. Microsoft’s HoloLens success will play a big role in determining its future prospects. It lags significantly behind its peers—Google, Apple, and Samsung—in the rapidly growing mobile, smartphone, and tablet space.
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