LG Electronics is prepping for its step into the Virtual Reality Sphere with VR HMD.
A prototype for the VR HMD (head mounted display) will be unveiled at GDC 2017 in San Francisco, CA, being housed at Valves booth. The device is designed for a “high fidelity, next generation VR experience” according to a press release. Despite the company’s plan to unveil the product, they do not have a price point or launch date for the device.
The LG VR HMD looks to compete with the HTC Vive, which launched in April 2016. Up until this point, that was the only Steam VR headset on the market. Receiving a 9 out of 10 from us here at CGM, our reviewer Jedd Whitaker praising it as the best VR headset on the market at that time. It will be interesting to see is LG decides to take on HTC head on, or offer something more affordable for consumers.
Currently, the HTC Vive is priced at $1,149 (CAD), the VR headset exceeded HTC’s expectations. The industry seems healthy enough as well. According to industry tracker SuperData, the VR industry generated $1.8 billion in revenue, shipping 6.3 million units. Still, SuperData’s research shows the total earnings for VR will rise 168 per cent from 2016 to 2017, as Oculus experienced supply constraints, which have since been remedied.
Though more competition might not be a bad thing when it comes to Steam-grade VR headsets. According to SuperData research, male millennials are most likely to use VR at 52 per cent, while 48 percent of females over 35 have tried headsets at home. If LG were to take on the Vive head on, it wouldn’t be out of the question for them to implement a full body tracker as 83 per cent of VR users on PC have the space for room-scale VR.
There really isn’t much to go on aside from Valve stating they will show it off. Hopefully at GDC, there will be a clearer picture for LG’s VR plans, but until then, it’s fun to speculate.
