Big Tech Big Bet on Metaverse Hardware

In May 2022, Meta (formerly Facebook) opened its first hardware store in California to give users their first-of-its-kind hardware products such as virtual reality headphones and added reality glasses and goggles. With this, the company developed the wheel for Metavas – the next Internet evolution.

Meta is a leader in the fast-growing VR headset market. A.D. By 2021, Quest 2, Meta’s core VR headset, has generated 78% (8.7 million units) of total headphones (11.2 million units). Followed by DPVR and ByteDance’s Pico. DPVR ranks 5.1% globally, while Pico ranks third with 4.5% market share.

A.D. According to data from the International Data Corporation (IDC), the total number of AR / VR headphones sent in 2021 has increased by 92.1% compared to the previous year. This indicates that virtual and augmented reality products are gaining acceptance among consumers. By 2022, this is expected to affect 16.49 million units. And for four years, the line is expected to cross more than 50 million units.

AR / VR key to access metavers

AR devices play an important role in accessing the world of metavers. Meters enabled on Web 3 is a combination of virtual reality and augmented reality. According to a new report from Boston Corporate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Metaverse, the total metavers market is expected to reach $ 250- $ 400 by 2025. / VR devices should also go out.

“With each new era of human-computer interaction, new hardware has arrived in the consumer and enterprise sectors. New types of hardware will be developed with new types of hardware that create a deep sense of presence.In the meantime, the actual capacity of meters will be limited.

Abigail Patel, co-founder and COO, AjnaLens, Thane-based Extended Reality, has so far received a total of $ 4.5 million in funding, the most recent of which is the pre-series. “We need computers, laptops to use the Internet, and we need other hardware, such as VR glasses, to get the next Internet service. In fact, VR glasses and other hardware are designed to be a bigger industry than mobile phones. In the future.”

Companies such as Meta (formerly Facebook) Sony, HTC and Samsung offer VR devices, and the AR market is dominated by Apple, Microsoft, Google and Magic Leap.

More products are lined up for the future. There are Apple’s AR glasses in the tube. By the end of 2024, they will be launching alongside the second Gen AR / VR headset. Google is bringing AR headphones. Released in 2024, they will be powered by a custom Google processor, just like the new Google Pixel smartphone.

AR / VR devices are increasingly being used in a variety of fields, from manufacturing to design to healthcare to education. Last December, Boeing announced that the next generation would use the aircraft using Microsoft Hollins with “digital twin” technology.

Great luck, but is India ready?

According to Gartner, a technology company, 25% of people will spend at least an hour a day working, shopping, studying, socializing and / or entertaining.

However, when it comes to metavers hardware in India, it does not paint a very beautiful picture. A pair of Indian companies, Irusu and Prox VR, offer headphones and goggles at various price points.

Beginners are here, but they are counted. According to Tracxn Research Forum, there are only 11 startups in AR equipment manufacturing, 5 of which are funded. And of the 8 startups in VR equipment, only 1 is financially supported.

Tesseract, Starter, offers the world’s first 360 virtual reality camera-methane. Also a Quar 360 360 camera. A.D. The five-year in-depth technology launch at RIL in 2019 will provide technology to AR and VR-based products such as cameras, headphones, and smart glasses.

So, what is the reason behind the low demand of Indian manufacturers in the industry for a billion dollars? “Food demand in India is still low. Only startups can take such a risk compared to traditional businesses. Moreover, AR / VR and optical awareness is still low, and India is always following a proven history. That’s why we see it. “As the awareness of these applications grows, players will jump in.”

“Hardware is hard,” says Lee, as the saying goes. But the potential upside is much higher than software efforts, and this poses a lot of risks and limitations when working on atoms, not bits – they move slowly at the stage of development. But if you can create a successful hardware parade, you can have a huge impact on the market. Beginners and companies already know this, which is why companies like Meta, which used to have social apps, are pouring billions of dollars into hardware space.

India needs proper support and ecology to grow in this area. “There are two ways to influence space. Manufacturing and inventing new hardware. India has the potential for both, but the right conditions and support. Many of our teams here at Emerge originally came from India, so we know that India has talent and will soon have its wealth.

The metavers hardware scene today can easily be compared to the mobile phone industry in the 90’s. “It’s early but not too late. The giants are just putting their feet up because they can see the vision. They are visionaries. In the next five years, a complete ecosystem will be created and most tech-savvy people like us will be replaced. But the sector is gaining momentum and some giants from India are on their feet and we will be partners and take this technology first.

Companies like Emerge are planning to enter the Indian market. “Our vision of connecting people’s feelings remotely and in time is more echoed by our loved ones who live far away. In fact, 70% of our company has immigrants or 1st General Americans and we all have distant family and friends. They are trying to expand to a global level, ”he told Lee.

But how are companies now dealing with the exaggerated AR / VR headset price issue offered by global giants? AjnaLens tells Entrepreneur India that it has a subscription model in enterprise plans. “Our next MR universal glasses will start at the price of mobile phones. We have seen that there are very few computer or phone manufacturers in India. We do not want to lose this competition. We are the only ones who have started. Or you need to reduce the price and reduce the profit margin if you want to take it.

Equipment currently offered by international players ranges from 40,000 INR to 1,50,000 INR. Launched in 2016, the Oculus Rift is priced at 79,747 INR, while the HTC VIVE Pro is priced at INR 1,54,199. The most popular Oculus Quest 2 is currently priced at INR 41,225. Air glasses, on the other hand, cost 3,000 birr in India along with shipping and custom taxes.

5G brings more players?

Experts who are closely monitoring the market feel that more players will be able to enter the country by fully accepting 5G. “Digital adoption is still low in India and 5G is a long way off. High speed communication is a must for a good immersive experience. I think many players in India will start 6G months after a full 5G adoption. , Tech Consultant, says EY India.

Technology beyond AR / VR headphones

Going forward, Meters see technology beyond headphones and glasses. There will be new navigation hardware, what your real body is doing and technology that you can try to understand and understand and do things.

“Hardware such as AR / VR headphones is so vast that they can’t hold metavas. With the existing haptic gloves, the next set of hardware we expect are haptic sensors,” Garg added.

“The concept of measurement is huge,” Lee says. We were working on creating a new touch language on Emerge, and we actually shipped our first beta products.

“Personally, I believe we will not smell or taste because of the desired conflict and other possible means. Finally, the computing hardware needs to be improved. There is one trillion gigabytes of information in the world. It is very difficult to adapt, but it is inevitable, ”explains Lee.