CES 2019: VR/AR updates

The recently wrapped CES in Las Vegas had a lot of to offer other than phones, watches, and tablets. The interest in VR/AR has spurred constant innovation, and there’s a lot to be excited about. Here are the most interesting things we saw.

VR

One of the big names in consumer VR, HTC has launched the new Vive Pro Eye VR headset, an updated version of its Vive Pro. It features eye-tracking technology which renders the path that the user focussed on. Peripheral vision will be blurred to save processing power, a technique dubbed “foveated rendering” by HTC. One of its application is workplace collaboration - combine with softwares like Vive Studio and Ovation, keeping people’s eye “on the same page” will never be easier.

Another headset that HTC announced is the Vive Cosmos, a simpler version that did not offer eye tracking, and to be linked to a computer. The company does expect to make a wireless version sometime in future.

There’s also a new Viveport subscription model called Viveport Infinity - similar to netflix for VR games, it offers users to download and play any of the titles in its library with no restriction. It will be available from Apr 5, 2019, and the headsets later this year. 

Moving on to VR content: One exciting VR game release launching late this year is Population: One, a battle royale game similar to Fortnite and PUBG, you drop down on a map with 23 other players, gather supplies and take down as many opponents as possible.

There is a lot of buzz around Audi’s Holoride, the in-car VR solution. Holoride is a startup from Audi, aiming to put VR entertainment in cars (for backseat passengers) and alleviate motion sickness. They work together with Marvel Entertainment from Disney for content, using the Oculus headset and managed to match the pace of the VR content to vehicle’s movement - same direction, speed and all. Holoride will be using this technology as a open platform to allow any automakers and content developers to create as many content as they wish. We may not have to wait long before Holoride comes up in long-commute distance public transport - planes, buses, or even, perhaps under an advertisement supported model to make the ride enjoyable. 

AR 

On the AR side, there are a lot of spotlight on North’s consumer AR glasses - Focals. What makes Focal stand out is it truly looks and feels like an ordinary pair of glasses. The glasses only feature bare essentials - the small display on the top right of lens which shows condensed notification on weather, calendar, directions, text etc. There is no camera on this model, however according to co-founder Aaron Grant, there will definitely be one in future, “It’s just a question of when the world is ready for a camera.” He is hopeful that AR will reach mass appeal over the next few years.

Hyundai, together with WayRay AG, has decided to build a AR holographic navigation system right into a vehicles windshield, besides the company’s existing HUD system. The AR system shows information like directions or safety warnings directly in front of drivers’ eyes perceived as a projection approximately 15m ahead. This maintains the drivers focus on the road ahead. In light of the advancements of V2X technology, Hyundai and WayRay want to expand the system to be receptive of everything and anything on the road - people, vehicles, bikes, crosswalks, traffic lights, weather etc. into the AR environment. In the ever changing landscape of today’s Automotive industry, maybe what we are seeing now is one of the many signs indicating the continuing convergence between Automotive and Internet industries.

Brian Trappe is Managing Director of Axiom Technology Headhunting in Hong Kong. For more articles about the areas that we work in, visit our blog.