Like almost all sectors, the arts and entertainment industry has been under a lot of pressure in recent years. With lockdowns and pandemics changing the way people look for entertainment and inspiration, companies have been left looking for new ways to engage their audience.
Extended reality, in the form of AR, VR, and MR, has shown great potential for this landscape. We’re already starting to see galleries and museums creating their own AR and VR experiences, designed to educate and enlighten people anywhere. At the same time, the entertainment sector is rapidly investing in the concept Metaversebringing virtual concerts and new forms of entertainment to global audiences.
As the way we consume art and entertainment continues to transform, some vendors in the XR space are demonstrating massive brand-transforming capabilities. Here are some of the best XR sellers that specialize in this area.
meta
The current company to watch in the Race to Metaverse, Meta has amazing potential for those in the arts and entertainment scene. Oculus’ flexible environment has already become the platform for a range of virtual museums, galleries, and concert experiences hosted around the world. Furthermore, Meta’s enhanced AR advertising options allow businesses to promote their unique experiences across social media channels like never before.
As the Meta continues to work on developing its own unique “metaverse,” it’s likely that we’ll see a host of new XR-enhanced experiences in entertainment. The Meta Oculus team has already partnered with leading companies like Sony Music to give fans an immersive way to discover music videos and unique content. Meta’s new digital landscape is sure to pave the way for endless new virtual concerts and online experiences in the years to come.
Microsoft
Although Microsoft hasn’t shown much investment in the entertainment and arts sector yet, it has a lot of potential to offer with the HoloLens ecosystem. The HoloLens headset is currently one of the most impressive mixed reality solutions on the market, paving the way for a future in holographic concerts, and virtual teleportation.
Microsoft technology could easily be the basis behind a number of unique event experiences and mixed reality in the world of entertainment in the future. This is especially true when we consider the company’s growing commitment to creating its own metaverse. Already, Microsoft hosts endless online events through its Teams platform, which can integrate with the Microsoft Mesh environment and HoloLens, so it’s safe to say there’s a lot of room for growth here.
The Google
Google may not garner as much interest in the XR space as some other leading technology vendors, but it has already captured the interest of countless artists and educators with its unique virtual reality tools. Software like Google’s VR Tilt Brush allows users to create unique virtual pieces of art on a completely unlimited canvas space. The tool is already being used to help students at prestigious locations such as Yale University.
At the same time, Google provides access to convenient, easy-to-use AR development tools, for creators who want to build unique art experiences within the Android platform. Going forward, we’ll likely see the company invest more in the XR space, as headphones become more affordable, and development strategies grow. Google’s innovations may appeal to companies from all backgrounds looking to take advantage of the benefits the metaverse can offer.
HTC Vive
As one of the best-known companies in the virtual reality space, HTC VIVE has already proven itself to be a valuable partner to countless companies moving into the XR space. The HTC Vive headset is a popular choice for entertainment companies looking to deliver unique gaming and competitive experiences in hybrid environments. Numerous carnivals and VR game rooms around the world are experimenting with the flexible and immersive interface offered by VIVE.
The technology offered by HTC VIVE is also great for enhancing collaboration efforts between various entertainment industry leaders who may need a new way to join forces in today’s globalized landscape. Through the virtual reality environments offered by VIVE, companies will be able to match professionals from countless different countries in the same unique space.
Fargo
As a market leader in both the MR and VR space, Varjo has made some huge moves into extended reality in recent years. The vendor has the most compelling set of tools and headsets on the market, specially designed for various industries such as training, simulation, design and engineering. These wearables can be easily adapted for the entertainment and arts sector as well.
Varjo is already collaborating with a handful of content studios, which could give the company an easy entry point into the entertainment scene. Moreover, the brand recently introduced Varjo Reality Cloud, a platform that helps streamline the process of streaming content via the cloud to devices in different locations. This cloud environment can have an important role to play in the new era of virtual content streaming.
apple
Like Google, Apple has provided developers around the world with a convenient way to get started with augmented reality. The Apple AR development landscape is a straightforward, easy-to-use ecosystem where virtually any company or creator can design and publish their own AR experience. There have already been a number of gallery- and museum-based tools built for the Apple ecosystem, along with several AR apps for art and design.
Apple’s continued investment in the world of XR also includes a strong focus on stylish, lightweight wearable augmented reality headsets. Apple’s future smart glasses could play a great role in delivering intelligent information to customers in real time, when they interact with entertainment environments, events, and art spaces.
lonliness
At the heart of the XR world’s formidable technical experiences is the right development programme. Unity is a market leader in this environment, providing straightforward and powerful tools for those who want to push the boundaries of what’s possible in VR and AR. With Unity software, film and television entertainment leaders can create virtual worlds based on landscapes their fans already know and love.
As we continue to accelerate towards the metaverse augmented entertainment and event experiences, there’s a good chance we’ll build a number of even more impressive parties and conferences using Unity software. Even the company’s vendor-neutral approach allows developers to create experiences that work on almost any device.