Things are looking up for virtual reality right now. With news that it surpassed 1 million sales in the last quarter it’s clear that the faith is still alive. HTC clearly also believes in it, so much so that it just announced the third round of startups that will be joining its accelerator program, Vive X.
The program has already brought some impressive technologies to life, such as the TPCast wireless add-on and, more recently, an eye-tracking peripheral. And it’s just announced it’s bringing 26 more companies into the fold.
Since July 2016 Vive X has invested in over 80 companies. We’ve broken down the most interesting startups from the latest round below.
Neurable (San Francisco)
,
,
What it does: Neurable is building brain-computer interfaces for VR. Instead of using electroencephalography (EEG) signals as devices like Muse’s headband, it uses event-related potential (ERP) signals, which are responses to stimuli. Either way, the outcome is essentially mind control. Cool, huh?
Why it’s interesting: We saw something similar with MindMaze’s neurotechnology, which can translate emotional responses into VR in real time. Anything mind controlled is fascinating, obviously, but in VR it has a lot of exciting and unique possibilities.
Genhaosan (Beijing)
What it does: Karaoke is an entire industry built on the principal that most people will sing in public when they’re drunk to the point of borderline incapacitation. But what if you couldn’t even see your friends, but a stage in front of thousands of virtual humans who all think your Cindi Lauper rendition rocks? That’s what Genhaosan does, creating VR environments for karaoke rooms that make you feel more like a true rock star.
Why it’s interesting: Because everyone wants to be a star. And again, this is what VR is all about: taking you to places you would normally find yourself being dragged from by burly security guards. You can already try out social karaoke game SingSpace on the Samsung Gear VR, but we’d really love for VR karaoke to become a bigger thing. If Animoji karaoke can…
Quantum Capture (San Francisco)
,
,
What it does: QuarkVR is a compression and streaming technology designed to cut the cord, capable of streaming to VR and AR headsets without compromising quality. It’s also hardware agnostic, according to the company, and can support 4K-per-eye resolution, even streaming to a dozen users in the same environment simultaneously. Yes, this is the Pied Piper of VR.
What it’s interesting: Because wires suck. And because since we tried Oculus Santa Cruz we’ve found it hard to go back to tethered VR. The future is wireless, and the company says the tech is already field tested by arcades.
CALA (San Francisco)
What it does: We’ve seen how virtual reality can be used in architecture and car design, but CALA is about fashion. It uses 3D-scanning tech to let fashion designers take body measurements with AR and VR tech to make more precisely designed clothes.
Why it’s interesting: Because it’s a genuinely interesting application for VR. Just look at Ikea, which is using AR to help customers get a better sense of how furniture will look and fit in their homes – and reducing the return rate as a result.
Pillow’s Willow (Beijing)
,
,
What it does: Pillow’s Willow builds fantasy worlds, for single or shared experiences, with an emphasis on creativity and positivity. It’s also collaborating with Manus VR on gloves that will give players the use of their hands in these virtual “Dreamscapes”.
Why it’s interesting: Because, inevitably, we’ve transplanted so much traditional video game thinking to VR, which means a lot of guns and violence. But it doesn’t have to all be that way, and companies like this will be important in pushing virtual reality in more interesting directions.
Source: Wareable