The major players in the virtual reality headset market have all banded together to create a new Global Virtual Reality Association (GVRA), with the intent of sharing best practices and work with both private and public stakeholders in VR.
Google, Facebook’s Oculus, HTC Vive, Samsung and Sony Interactive Entertainment (PlayStation VR), along with Acer Starbreeze, are the founding members of the nonprofit group, which will also share research on VR and serve as a global resource on the category for both policymakers and consumers.
“VR has the potential to be the next great computing platform, improving sectors ranging from education to healthcare, and contribute significantly to the global economy,” the group said in a statement. “Through research, international engagement, and the development of best practices, the founding companies of the Global Virtual Reality Association will work to unlock and maximize VR’s potential and ensure those gains are shared as broadly around the world as possible.
Jon Wiley, director of immersive design for Google, called the group “a necessary first step toward ensuring great VR experiences for everyone,” with collaboration on research and best practices long overdue. Rikard Steiber, senior VP of Vive, said the group was necessary if the VR category is going to hit its $120 billion revenue projection by 2020.
“We’re still very much in the early stages of VR, so it’s critical that industry leaders work together to create and share ideas on how we can safely build this industry,” said Jordan McCollum, general counsel for Oculus at Facebook. “I’m looking forward to working with other hardware makers to proactively address the challenges we need solve to make VR a success over the long term.”
