"Virtual reality, while it offers a tremendous new world for us to play in, is a different kind of social experience," Humin CEO Ankur Jain (Click to Tweet)

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Greenlight Report

April 7, 2016

A weekly newsletter by Greenlight VR, the business intelligence firm for the global virtual reality economy.

Analyst Commentary

IKEA Launches Pilot Virtual Reality Kitchen Experience for HTC Vive
IKEA suggests the launch of the app is intended to solicit consumer feedback. Since the mid-90's, companies have been using virtual reality to conduct market research, and the practice is particularly common among consumer goods manufacturers and retailers. Virtual shelf and store simulations can deliver actionable insights at a fraction of the cost and time spent on traditional market research methods. [Read full announcement from IKEA]

With New Acquisition, Tinder Gets Into 'Augmented Reality'
While venture capital investments in VR/AR companies continue to drive headlines, strong merger and acquisition activity is critical to a thriving ecosystem. Facebook’s 2014 acquisition of Oculus remains the industry's most notable acquisition in the VR/AR industry, but in the last year, there have been over 30 important acquisitions of companies with VR/AR intellectual property, including Tinder's recent purchase of Humin. [Analysis of key acquisitions since 2013 is featured in the 2016 Industry Report.]

Top Industry News

Augmented Reality Startup Daqri Acquires Hologram Maker To Take On Microsoft HoloLens Forbes
Samsung Patents Smart Contact Lenses with a Built-in Camera Mashable
With New Acquisition, Tinder Gets Into 'Augmented Reality' Popular Science
Some Oculus Rift Shipments Delayed by Parts Shortage The Wall Street Journal
Virtual Reality is About to Go Mainstream, but a Lack of Content Threatens to Hold it Back TechCrunch
Toyota Patents Augmented-Reality Windshield CNET
Masters Announces TV Schedule, Offers Virtual Reality Experience Golf
How YouTube Gaming Wants to Drive 360-Degree VR Game Videos VentureBeat

Forecasting the Global Virtual Realities™ Economy at MIT

Steve Marshall, Senior Vice President, will lead a workshop on April 7th at MIT Sloan School of Management where he will discuss Greenlight’s point of view on the current state of the industry, and for the first time, present the company's economic models for this hyper-growth industry. Marshall will also explain how the “advisory service” model has changed in recent years and how the Virtual Realities™ industry will be impacted. Learn about the event here.

Questions, comments or to get the latest Greenlight VR research report, email us: analysts@greenlightvr.com

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