Audi is about to be the first automaker to have virtual reality added to their sedans and SUVs this year.
On Mar. 12, Holoride announced at the SXSW tech, music, and film conference in Austin, Texas, that its Virtual Reality or VR headset entertainment system will be added to certain Audi models in June. The VR headset will have the latest MIB 3 software.
Audi to Get Built-in VR
The announcement about the built-in VR headset in Audio vehicles shows that there is an increasing interest among car companies to find new ways to entice customers, according to TechCrunch.
The Holoride system is connected to the backseat passengers' physical world with augmented reality for a motion-synchronized journey as the car moves along. The system is brand agnostic, which means other car companies can support it too.
Holoride teaming up with Terranet, an ADAS software development company based in Sweden, allows for the VR system's sensors and software stack to capture and interpret the environment in a fast and accurate manner. The VoxelFlow system or Terranet can calculate VR movement based on data points received from the car.
The software to build virtual reality content for vehicles is also open-source, allowing developers to create content and monetize them.
For now, the only item that needs to be bought to use the VR system is a headset. However, there is limitless potential for carmakers and developers to create revenue from car owners by selling subscriptions on their services and charging them for accessories.
The global automotive AR and VR market is believed to reach $674 million by 2025, according to Allied Market Research.
Bringing VR entertainment into series production vehicles is also the first step toward developing the type of content passengers may consume as soon as driverless cars arrive.
Both Audi and Holoride hope to be the first to claim the tech stack of autonomous cars and the nearer-term prospect of capturing more revenue from its human-driven cars.
The future market for in-car content and entertainment is vast because as soon as driverless cars start to roll out, everyone will become a passenger, Holoride contends.
Holoride's Elastic Content
Being the first one to feature a VR entertainment system in a car gives the companies an opportunity to establish a new media category called "Elastic Content."
The VR system can adapt to the car's movements so that your VR journey mimics the turns, acceleration, and stops of the car, according to Engadget.
According to Holoride and Audi, passengers will be able to purchase or collect NFTs, supported by Elrond's blockchain, while visiting the virtual world. Games that are location-based could connect it to locations or events in the real world.
The key concern in VR is motion sickness. Holoride said that syncing with the car's movements reduces the symptoms.
Holoride, which raised $12 million in 2021 for a valuation of $30 million, rolled out a prototype of the VR system at CES in 2019, taking reporters for spins around the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The virtual reality world was created with Disney and other partners.
In 2017, Audio rolled out the Traffic Jam pilot to help drivers from getting stuck in traffic.
In the same year, Audio also added the next generation of Google's Android Auto in its vehicles.
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Written by Sophie Webster
