Dubai: The virtual reality (VR) market in the UAE is still in its infancy but it is growing fast due to an increasing demand for 360–degree cameras, industry experts said.
VR allows users to engage in a 360-degree 3D computer-simulated reality and immerse them in places through videos or photos while allowing users to interact by elevating live-event experiences such as concerts or indulge in adventure sports — without the risks — from the comfort of the couches.
Sensors in the headset track the user’s movements and change the user’s view accordingly. A VR version of scuba diving allows you to feel as if real fish are swimming toward you. If you look up, you see a realistically rendered sky. When you glance down, you are shown the ocean floor.
Most of the VR headsets have to be either tethered to a powerful PC like Oculus Rift and HTC Vive or to a smartphone like Samsung’s Gear VR.
Users can experience the effect with Samsung Gear VR available in the market for Dh399 or HTC’s Vive, which is going for around Dh2,500.
Jitesh Ubrani, a senior research analyst at IDC, said that growth in the VR has been rather sluggish compared to other recently introduced technologies as the amount of investment and, more importantly, the need for end-user education is extremely high for VR.
Ribi Kenneth, regional distribution manager for ACME, the sole distributor of Insta360 cameras in the region, said VR content is available for the masses.
“What if we need to be in the VR and the only way to do is the 360-degree cameras? People buy it to be part of the VR content and social media sharing. YouTube, Facebook and Periscope are 360-degree compatible,” he said.
The company has been selling Insta360 cameras from February this year.
“We sell around 400 units a month. These products are easier to use and no complications. VR is still a niche segment in the region but 360 cameras are going to fuel the growth of VR,” he said.
Rohit Bachani, co-founder of Merlin Digital, said that the VR market in the UAE is growing but the 360 cameras are even growing faster.
“The 360 cameras which are cross-functional are selling fast as [they] can operate on iOS or Android platforms. The UAE is a small market for VR headsets and consumers do not want to [use] their phones. They want to use it as a stand-alone device and our focus is more on stand-alone VR headsets,” he said.
Nowadays, he said that anybody can get a cheap VR headset in Dubai for Dh30.
Merlin has a virtual reality cordless headset — Ridge VR — that does not need a computer or a smartphone to power the device. The device comes with a Bluetooth joystick for personal control, with a built-in processor, head-tracking GPS, WiFi and Bluetooth, and is priced at $200.
He said there are no boundaries for VR and Merlin is still exploring the possibilities. Currently, people use the headsets for games and watching movies.
Bachani sees the real estate sector benefiting the most from VR in the UAE as there are a lot of real estate companies that have off-plan projects in the UAE. They will be able to use it as a simple platform to showcase their projects.
“We are doing realty projects in VR outside of the UAE. Like apps stores, there should be an app store dedicated for realty VRs, similar to Dubizzle, for companies where everybody can upload their projects,” he said.
“We are loading a lot of 360-degree videos on YouTube for people to enjoy. Facebook announced quite a few updates to its 360-degree live video platform to make it more accessible to both creators and viewers,” he said.
However, he said that increasing the investment by global players in applications is expected to grow the market in the coming years.
