2017 – The Year of VR Technology

Although 2016 is over, one technology is just taking off, and 2017 is its year to shine. Virtual Reality (VR) wasn’t new this past year but finally became usable and affordable on a public scale. Long-time industry names, such as Sony, HTC, and Samsung led the way for VR Technology, and newcomer, Oculus, became known.

Regarding advanced systems, costs are still high for most households; the HTC Vive runs upwards of $800, no computer included. Samsung’s Gear VR, which only requires your phone to work, has a price even skeptics wouldn’t pass at $60.

The new year won’t come close to testing the limits of VR technology, but it will certainly leave homes and businesses dreaming about the future. If you haven’t familiarized yourself with VR technology yet, don’t stop reading.

VR Technology in the Home

Entertainment is about to make a complete 360. While TVs won’t disappear anytime soon, the 3D technology in some TVs might begin to feel like a sad excuse to bring things to life. No mainstream VR-enhanced films are out yet, but it’s only a matter of time.

But this is about 2017, right? And it’s supposed to be the year of VR, right? What can your family do with the technology right now?

Video gaming. Most households might not have a hardcore PC gamer hanging around, so the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive are out of the question. However, Sony just released its PlayStation VR, and anyone who owns a PS4 can put it to use. Granted, they must have $500.

Games from well-known franchises are out now, and the lineup isn’t slowing down. Current titles include Batman Arkham VR and Rise of the Tomb Raider. Fallout 4 and Doom are expected to move to VR 2017 as well. As with all games, some are exclusive to certain platforms.

Beyond console gaming, families can enjoy simpler VR experiences with Samsung’s Gear VR or Google’s newly-released Daydream View. A wide variety of apps, mobile games, and videos already exist.

VR Technology in the Workplace

While the future of VR’s entertainment value is much clearer going into 2017, the workplace will change dramatically as the technology advances. Don’t believe it? Then check out this article.

Training is about to change forever on a massive scale. VR technology will allow professionals – ranging from the medical field to entry-level customer service jobs – the opportunity to practices skills with no real risk involved. Imagine if surgeons could practice on virtual tables before doing the real thing. VR technology is making things like this possible.

Businesses are also looking at ways to incorporate VR and Augmented Reality (AR) in the field. AR is like VR, except AR doesn’t involve full virtual immersion. Perhaps the most popular example of AR right now is the mobile video game Pokémon Go, where users walk to physical locations to catch virtual creatures.

The construction industry is an easy example for demonstrating how AR technology will change the workplace. When contractors and laborers are putting up walls inside a building, AR technology can be used to virtually show what the outcome will look like before cutting any sheetrock.

Among other things, collaboration and product testing are areas VR and AR will change forever.

VR and IT Consulting

What do VR and IT Consulting have to do with each other right now? Everything and nothing. You might not mention VR or AR possibilities with your IT consultant in 2017 at all, but you will soon.

The real question revolves around when practical solutions will exist for your company. At Affinity IT Group, we don’t have that answer yet. However, we guarantee we’ll be ready to deliver those solutions as soon as they are available.