Although the three major VR headsets are now available in shops, the age of virtual reality is still in its early days.
Each player, be it Sony, HTC, Oculus with Facebook or mobile teams like Samsung and Google, is still trying to work out the basics of how the new medium should work. So far there have been some big differences in how each has approached it, ranging from different control schemes, to different backend technologies.
Now most of the major players in the virtual reality space have agreed to put their differences aside, and have joined together to create the Global Virtual Reality Association (GVRA), which they claim will “develop and share best practices for the industry” as well as fostering dialogue between them.
All present and accounted for
So far the organisation has been joined by Samsung (makers of the Gear VR), HTC (who produce the HTC Vive), Oculus (Oculus Rift), Sony Interactive Entertainment (PlayStation VR), Google (Google Daydream), and Acer Starbreeze (StarVR), which covers most of the big players in the market.
In fact, the only big name that seems to be missing is Razer, which has its own OSVR headset in the works.
Despite companies continuing to compete, industry associations such as the GVRA are common, as businesses work to ensure that the market is easy for consumers to understand and buy into.
Other prominent industry alliances include the UHD Alliance, and the Wi-Fi Alliance, which set common specifications for manufacturers to work towards.
Here's to hoping that the GVRA can get VR into the mainstream soon, because we can't wait to see multiplayer VR take off.
