VR First Helps to Democratize the Innovation Landscape of Virtual Reality

LAS VEGAS, January 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

New survey highlights interest of universities in a wide range of industry verticals and their preferences for PC and VR/AR equipment, pointing toward the future 

The latest research from VR First presented at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) with the support of the CONTEXT and IEEE Digital Senses Initiative, reveals an increase in VR/AR adoption at universities worldwide in 2016, highlighting the early impact of VR First's academic initiatives.

     (Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/454482/VR_First_Infographic.jpg )

The survey, which collates input from 151 universities in 38 countries, shows that the number of HMDs per university has significantly increased from 1.5 to 5.6 in the last six months. Earlier this year, 51 students had to share one headset, whereas today the average is 18 students per HMD. 65% of these universities are planning to establish a lab in the near future to ensure they play an active part in equipping a new generation of VR/AR developers.

Elsewhere, the survey reveals that game development, education, and health care are the top three focus areas of most universities running VR projects. Oculus headsets remain the most popular type of VR headset among universities, and Intel and NVIDIA are the leading choices for VR capable CPUs and GPUs by far, dominating with adoption rates above 90% over AMD. The three VR capable PC brands preferred by universities are Dell, HP, and Lenovo.

The data also shows that many universities have been using VR technology for a number of years, confirming that academia is leading the way as early adopters in VR. In less than a year, VR First has been able to positively impact the VR innovation landscape via education and lab facilities.

Ferhan Özkan, Director of Partnerships and Alliances at VR First said: "Our latest infographic exposes the growing appetite among universities to bridge the developer deficit facing the VR/AR industry, but there's still a lot of work to be done. Moreover, given the available budgets from many universities, such institutions themselves could be a profitable market for vendors and resellers. In 2017, we look forward to many more high-profile partners joining the effort to make VR/AR development a priority at universities around the world."

VR First launched in January 2016. To date, 26 VR First Labs have been established, and more than 200 universities have submitted applications to join the program.

About the survey: the survey was conducted in December 2016 with 151 participating universities. 

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Infographic link: https://www.vrfirst.com/assets/docs/VR_First_Infographic.pdf

VR First Lab Photos: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/hjccb1bz3extj2e/AABSv3Bn5Uws8Q3pGZGqt1O5a?dl=0

About VR First  

VR First is a global program designed to provide state-of-the-art facilities to anyone interested in exploring the power and potential of virtual reality development. VR First Labs and Centers are designed to be the key locations for nurturing new talent in VR/AR development. VR First also helps developers to convert ideas into business opportunities and brings developers together with established industry partners. For more information: http://www.vrfirst.com

For more information, contact Rahel Demant:press@vrfirst.com