We ask our industry panel - the brightest and sharpest VR professionals from around the world - one question about the VR industry, business, technology or trending stories every week. Ahead of Thanksgiving Day, here’s what they told us makes them feel thankful about VR.

 

It’s Thanksgiving Day in America this Thursday; a day for giving thanks for the harvest and the preceding year. What would you like to give thanks for about VR in the last 12 months and share with the industry?

 

Samantha Kingston, Client Director at Virtual Umbrella 

“I am thankful for the overwhelming support of the VR community. In the UK, we have a great community that is always looking out for others, offering advice and support. Our company has had an incredible year and we have a lot to thank the industry for. For example, if we ever need help, or we’re in need of some advice, we know that we can ask the community and they’ll get back to us without a second thought. In return, we offer the same as much as we can. It’s great to know that we have people that we can rely on, create amazing content and network with.”

 

Simon Barratt, Director at Barog Game Labs 

“We’re thankful for the continued passion and drive at all levels of the VR industry, from the continued investment from Oculus, HTC, Google, VC’s and more, to the individuals sharing knowledge and experiences openly for the benefit of the entire ecosystem. I’ve worked in games development since 1999 and it’s a very open and collaborative place, especially when it comes to independent developers and programmers sharing knowledge and I think VR is somehow managing to be even more open. I hope it continues to all of our benefit and we as a company will be continuing to attempt to put in as much as we take out in 2017!”

 

Jonathan Wagstaff, Country Manager - UK & IE at CONTEXT 

“I think we all owe a huge vote of thanks to the teams at HTC, Oculus, and Sony for bringing (relatively) affordable VR to the mass consumer market after so long. Many of us remember the travesty that was the Virtual Boy and still suffer headaches years after - and were blown away by the first generation of 2016 consumer headsets. Many of us see VR as the next major entertainment platform, from the campfire story to the modern cinema.

“I'm personally extremely grateful for the VR industry contacts I've met (including the editor of this website) who have taken me around the globe. As our recent consumer survey showed, this is technology that’s here to stay and will only grow and grow. 8.5m headsets sold in 2016 could easily be 20m by the end of 2017. Moreover, stepping into my Rift helps me escape the reality of current FX rates and politics...”

 

Dean Johnson, Head of Innovation at Brandwidth 

“Fresh (although that’s debatable) off the plane following a week in LA, Cupertino, San Francisco and New York, I’m full of Thanksgiving spirit. This has been the first ‘proper’ year for VR as all the high-end headset manufacturers played their hands and lifted the market from Cardboard and GearVR to something far more serious.

“The business end may be serious but thankfully (see what I did there?) incredible VR startups such as The Void are finally delivering on their incredible potential. In my opinion, the Ghostbusters Experience in New York’s Madame Tussauds offers the best all-round VR deep-dive anywhere in the world. This is proof that stunning technology, brilliant content and incredible production values can bring VR to life on a level we should all aspire to.”