Does your Developer Program support Artificial, Augmented, Virtual, Mixed, Merged, Hybrid, etc. Reality (AR/VR/MR)?

There have been various forms of technology and non-technology based reality since the 1800s. The term “Virtual Reality” (VR) was coined by Jaron Lanier in 1978. Tom Caudell, a Boeing researcher,  coined the term “Augmented Reality” (AR) in 1990. In 1994 Paul Milgram and Fumio Kishino defined a mixed reality. A more inclusive description is the 1999 Reality-Virtuality [RV] Continuum by Paul Milgram and Herman W. Colquhoun Jr. I’ve had the fun of using Microsoft Kinect (and write code for), Oculus Rift, and Google Cardboard in the past. There is so much more happening today with several low cost and high end devices including Facebook Oculus and Microsoft Hololens. Does your developer relations program support different AR/VR/MR devices and APIs? In this blog post I’ll look at some of the recent AR/VR/MR developer news and provide links to developer programs.

People wear Samsung Gear VR devices as they attend the launching ceremony of the new Samsung S7 and S7 edge smartphones during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, February 21, 2016. REUTERS/Albert Gea TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY – RTX27XXM

AR/VR/MR Devices and their Developer Programs

Here is a list of AR/VR/MR devices, pricing and links to their developer programs.

• Atheer One ($3950) –  https://developer.atheerlabs.com/
• Epson Moverio BT-300 ($779) – https://epson.com/moverio-augmented-reality-developers?pg=5#sn
• Finch DK1 ($238) – https://finch-vr.com/developers/
• FOVE Eye Tracking VR Headset ($599) – https://www.getfove.com/developers/
• GlassUp (399 Euros) – http://www.glassup.net/en/developers/
• Google Cardboard V2 ($35) – https://developers.google.com/vr/cardboard/overview
• Google Daydream View ($79.00, supports Google Pixel) – https://developers.google.com/vr/daydream/overview
• HTC Vive ($799.00) – https://developer.viveport.com/
• IdealLens K2 ($500) – http://www.idealens.com/en/dev/home
• Laforge Shima ($590) – http://www.laforgeoptical.com/developer
• Leap Motion ($79.95) – https://developer.leapmotion.com/
• Merge VR Goggles ($79.00) – https://dev.mergevr.com/
• Meta 2 ($949)  – https://dev.metavision.com/
• Microsoft Hololens ($3000 development edition) – https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-hololens/en-us/developers
• Oculus Rift ($599.00) – https://developer.oculus.com/
• Razer OSVR HDK 2 ($399.99) – http://developer.razerzone.com/
• Recon Jet ($349)  – http://www.reconinstruments.com/developers/
• Samsung Gear VR ($99.99, supports Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6/S6 Edge/S6 Edge+, or Galaxy S7/S7 Edge) – https://resources.samsungdevelopers.com/Gear_VR
• Sony PlayStation VR (PS4) ($399 for headset, add PS4 and motion controllers) – https://www.playstation.com/en-us/develop/
• Sony SmartEyeglass ($899) – http://developer.sonymobile.com/products/smarteyeglass/
• Vuzix M300 Smart Glasses ($1499)  – https://www.vuzix.com/Developers

AR/VR/MR News

The following are some recent news items and announcements by companies in the AR/VR/MR space. If you know of additional developer news, please send me an email.

• Intel’s vision for the future of virtual reality – Introducing Merged Reality
• Google, Oculus, Sony Launch Global Virtual Reality Association – TopTechNews
• Microsoft empowers new development opportunities in mixed reality, gaming and cellular PCs
• Tim Cook Talks About Apple’s Augmented Reality Ambitions – Buzzfeed
• Intel unveils Project Alloy – wireless an all-in-one virtual reality solution leveraging Intel RealSense technology. Project Alloy will be offered as an open platform in 2017.
• Steam VR Performance Test App, Is your PC ready? – free download

Industry AR/VR/MR Site Links

Here is a list of industry and consortium sites that are focused on AR/VR/MR technologies, SDKs, APIs and devices.

• Global Virtual Reality Association – https://www.gvra.com/
• The VR/AR Association – http://www.thevrara.com/
• Augmented Reality for Enterprise Alliance – http://thearea.org/
• AugmentedReality.org – http://www.augmentedreality.org/

Is your Developer Program involved in AR/VR/MR?

Have I missed some of the devices and software from your company that is involved in AR/VR/MR? Do you have an SDK for developers? Is your company integrating with AR/VR/MR devices and using their developer programs? Send me an email if you have additional links to devices, softtware and news.

David Intersimone “David I”
Vice President of Developer Communities
Evans Data Corporation
davidi@evansdata.com
Blog: https://www.devrelate.com/blog/
Skype: davidi99
Twitter: @davidi99