Google has drawn media attention with its recent investment in the Swedish video game developer Resolution Games to the tune of US$6 million and its launch of a second generation of Google Cardboard, a virtual reality platform. Like the first generation of Google Cardboard, the new version is offered for the use of third-party companies for free.
A report on Chuangshiji, an online opinion page operated by Chinese internet portal Sina, although most Chinese VR companies claim to have succeeded in developing their own optical solutions, the basic designs still originate from Google Cardboard. Without Google, there would be no Chinese companies devoted to the production of VR goggles, the report said.
Some analysts in China’s VR headset sector agree that local VR products are mostly similar to each other because they are all based on Google Cardboard. The companies have remained unable to achieve a breakthrough in presenting an optical solution for the manufacture of the core hardware but their products are at least sold at an affordable price, the analysts said. The figures also pointed out that local products lack content support. Meanwhile, because the applications the local companies have developed for their VR products are not compatible with each other, users are often frustrated by lack of content, they said.
The Chuangshiji report said most Chinese producers of VR hardware, including Baofeng Media, all run programs supporting the production of content. In 2014, Baofeng CEO Feng Xin announced the launch of a content support project for its Mojing VR goggles. Under the plan, his company said it would forge partnerships with 210 content providers, including 100 panoramic photography teams. However, the supply will only be a drop in the ocean compared with the demand in the entire industry demand, the report said.
First seen at and source: WantChinaTimes
