Top VR Companies & AR Companies – September 2019 Reviews

Rankings as of March 19, 2024

Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) seems to many, that it is at a very nascent stage. Reality check: AR and VR are very much present in the market and affecting numerous businesses in their mode of working. AR & VR technologies are extremely helpful for marketers who like to embrace technology and use the latest tech for promoting their brands/ products/ services in innovative ways. This tech is not only used by marketers but is also used by many businesses within their internal operations.

There are professional AR/VR app development companies who help businesses and marketers to create the app they require. We have cherry-picked some of the world’s topmost result-oriented augmented reality and virtual reality development companies who are experienced, reliable and prominent when it comes to developing innovative apps and solutions for their clients.

The companies listed here have been evaluated on certain qualitative and quantitative parameters like data visualization, machine learning, brand recognition, timely delivery, competitive rates, customer reviews and many more that are included in our research ranking analytic methodology.

Below is the list of top performing AR/VR companies, here you go.

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Top AR & VR Developers

Total Records: 8
RANKINGS
Rank Company Location Employees Score Website
1 Prolific Interactive Brooklyn, NY 50 - 249 99.6% Visit Website
2 Groove Jones Dallas, TX 10 - 49 98.5% Visit Website
3 Next/Now Chicago, IL 10 - 49 98.3% Visit Website
4 SubVRsive Austin, TX 10 - 49 98.1% Visit Website
5 Hedgehog Lab London, United Kingdom 50 - 249 97.8% Visit Website
6 Program-Ace Kharkiv, Ukraine 50 - 249 97.4% Visit Website
7 4Experience Bielsko-Biała, Poland 10 - 49 96.9% Visit Website
8 Gramercy Tech New York, NY 10 - 49 96.7% Visit Website
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Introduction to AR VR

With widespread applications in the gaming area, both AR and VR are now showing exponential growth in other sectors of technology. AR or augmented reality gives the literal definition of a better reality, but in technological terms, it can be defined as the better representation of reality through technology. Coined in 1990 by Thomas Caudell, Augmented Reality overlays new information on the existing environment of the user. On the other hand, VR or Virtual Reality creates a whole new environment for the user. VR appeals to all the five senses of the user to simulate an out of the world experience. This factor of VR makes it an attractive feature in the entertainment field.
Going along the tech roots and the pioneering applications of AR, the first major commercial application of the technology happened back in 1998 when it was used to display the yellow “first down” line while telecasting football games. Whereas the emergence of VR can be traced back to the 19th century, where twin mirrors were used to project a single image leading to the invention of the stereoscope and then followed by the invention of the Viewmaster in 1939, which was later patented and is still produced.
Another technology that is the combination of both AR and VR is called MR or Mixed Reality. This technology is the mixture of both augmented reality and virtual reality. It is the type of technology that is believed to pave the future of both AR and VR. Some startups have started working on concepts based on MR and one popular concept is its application in e-commerce. Online traders with the help of technology startups can build up a complete shopping experience for a consumer who is sitting at their couch. The e-shopper will be able to browse through isles of products and know all kinds of information and compare available products easily in the nick of time.

Origin of popularity

There are many factors that led to the origin of the popularity of both technologies. The similar timings of their emergence can tag them as technological “Twins”. These factors are listed below.

The entertainment way: Many factors lead to the origin of the popularity of both the technologies. But the gaming sector has the upper hand in bringing out the most effective applications of both the technologies making them popular. The Nintendo Virtual Boy is said to be the first ever VR gaming console to be released ever. After making its first appearance in 1995, the gaming console now holds the prestigious position being the first ever VR gaming console.
“The Eye of Judgment” brought by Sony was the first ever AR related game which gave way for AR in the gaming world.
Other than all the marketing strategies that were extensively used, covert advertisements were employed to instill the use of AR and VR as friendly technologies. The availability of VR in gaming centers and its display in movies were the major promotions. AR, on the other hand, found its promotion through different e-commerce sites which offered the facility for the consumer to actually see how the product will look in the contextual environment.

Gadgets and advertisements: Promotions through innovative gadgets were the next step in bring AR and VR into the trends of the world. Starting from GPS to basic programming which enabled the user to tie animation and contextual environment together were the leading steps through AR was brought into the limelight. The ability of the technology to be installed without the help of any external hardware made it more accessible for any user. The headgear which had to be connected to specific hardware programmed accordingly was the first type of VR enabled gadget that first came out. Even though it was comparatively less accessible, the VR experience drove spectators to it quickly.
Advertisements wrote themselves in case of AR and VR technologies as they promised an experience never heard before. But the gadgets that were based on these technologies needed to be marketed well for reaching out to the masses. The retail price range of the devices were cut down as head gears developed were a phone can act as the hardware to enable a VR experience and AR used its accessibility as a USP to be marketed easily.
The commercial applications were other eye-catching innovations based on AR and VR. The application of augmented reality in e-commerce was a head turner. This application enabled the consumer to perceive how the purchased product would look like in the contextual environment. The application of VR in online shopping proposes a whole shopping experience for the consumer from anywhere or anytime.

Augmenting qualities

Virtual reality, which offers a reality different from that we exist in, worked on the basis of the stimulation of all the five senses of a person. Whereas AR focuses on visual stimulation only. Visual stimulation is a common feature for both technologies. AR projects a visual where the results of the desired change will be displayed in the contextual environment. VR generates a complete environment based on the programming that was done beforehand.
Auditory stimulation is a distinctive feature of VR. The technology which focuses on creating a whole new reality gives a lot of importance to surround sound system and audio quality. VR gadget leaders Oculus, Microsoft, Sony, and Samsung give a lot of emphasis on the audio quality offered through their gadgets.
Creative flexibility is a major augmenting quality shared by both the technologies. AR which is used to display a contextual environment gives the user the creative liberty to input any kind of data for the creation of the augmented reality. VR, which enables the creation of a whole new reality, gives the creator the creative liberty or flexibility to draw out any kind of reality according to the imagination of the creator/developer.
Another augmenting quality shared by both the technologies is mobility. AR, which is easily accessible from any device, projected mobility as one of its major advantages. In the case of VR which requires a headgear, mobility was achieved later through the innovative creation of self-regulatory headgears which does not need to be connected to any kind of external hardware to function.

Why AR & VR for your business

The technology has created waves of changes in many fields including the business field. The AR and VR presence in your firm is now understood to directly affect the success of your firm. The main reasons why you should have the technology is listed below;
Enhanced training options: Academics and training is another sector in which now AR and VR are now extensively applied to. The corporate has now adopted the new innovative technologies to make on the job training sessions a compelling learning experience. The simulative advantages that the technologies bring into the training sessions are irresistible. These applications make the training session interesting and also cost and time efficient compared to the conventional methods of training.
Another advantage of introducing the technologies to the field is the added advantage of practicality into the training sessions. When a trainer conducts a session, he/she will only be able just to dictate the scenarios which may impose pressure on the employees, but with the simulated reality where these scenarios are recreated for each employee, it brings practicality into the equation of training sessions.
Clear representation is another advantage of having training sessions with innovative tech support. Most employees view safety drills either as a waste of time or as a meaningless activity. But with the clear-cut representation of a calamity can inform the employees about the dangers that may befall them and also make them learn to understand how to get out of those tricky situations.

Time saving pros: De-alienation is one of the major advantages of having AR and VR in a workplace environment. A newly recruited employee can be given a virtual tour of the office even before his/her first day of work. This helps them to be familiar with their work environment beforehand and provides the employee with a sense of belonging to the workplace. Another way to make it easy to understand is that the usage of VR to create a virtual tour of the working space to the new employee. And this particular action is not the only usage that comes under de-alienation. This idea can be applied to any different situation like when in training an employee to face a emergency situation. An employee already familiar to the situation through this technique will be able to handle the situation because he is familiar to it.
And the most evident advantage of AR and VR in the office environment is easier understanding. Whenever a training session or a safety drill happens, the usage of the innovative technology will reserve each employee to be an active participant which in turn helps them retain a lot of what was taught in training. Studies show proofs that employees who went through training with tech support show 75% retention capabilities while the employees who went through the conventional methods were only able to remember 10% of what was taught. These retention stats proves that repetitive drills are not required, therefore saves money and time.
Academic training: The academic training or tutoring possibilities are very similar to the training options provided in a work environment. But the major difference here will be that, here the technologies will be used transform the way of learning forever.
The technologies which help in creating a better way of learning have a lot of advantages regarding its usage. And ease of handling is one of them. The installation of these technologies is not at all a tough task to anyone. It can be done by anyone with some basic technological knowledge to handle the technology and to get it show what you want to be shown to your students. The hardware that comes along is also very user friendly making it very easy to handle.

Flexibility and practicality: Another major advantage is the added sense of practicality to academics. Bring along a technology which is very flexible opens a lot of doors of creativity. Whenever a subject is taught in class, the technology can be used to display stuff related to it as an activity. This activity gives it a practical sense and helps the students to use the gained knowledge learned through the process in real life situations.
And the most evident advantage is that learning becomes engaging through AR and VR. With interesting virtual tours through ancient history, life of scientists, chemical transformations and through time and space, learning becomes a fun activity for students to look forward to. With the rising use of MR, which is a hybrid of AR and VR, teachers can actually produce holograms which can help in analyzing any topic in detail.
Distinct applications in e-commerce: With other pioneering applications in other sectors, AR and VR have made considerable strides in the field of e-commerce. Both the technologies have brought in different qualities into the field of e-commerce augmenting the shopping experience of the consumer in many ways. One of the notable qualities is apt visualization. Augmented reality which focuses on the details of a visual to display a contextual environment, tries to collect all the details from the input data to recreate life-like visualization of the surroundings resulting in an apt visualization. Virtual reality which also works on a similar principle also follows the same routine of data input and recreation, but it also involves auditory and tactile recreation.
Free will and Personalization: Personalization of commerce is another quality which was brought in by the use of VR and AR. Shopping which is now an exhausting task is now bettered through personalization of the same. E-commerce, as it is, is a way of personalizing the shopping experience. But with the application of technology, the time spent on selecting and other procedures of online shopping is made more comfortable as the consumer is able to apply their product to their surroundings through AR and is able to navigate using VR efficiently.
Freewill generation is another quality which comes into the world of commerce through the use of AR and VR. The application of these improved technologies into the field of e-commerce has developed better options for them to choose from and to plug-in and out of the commercial world as they please.

Retail and construction: Another application of the technologies in the commerce line is their application in the retail business. These applications can take away the need to actually visit a car showroom to buy a car or any commodity for that matter. If you find it hard to gain a good experience through a salesperson at a showroom then VR can take that off your shoulders by giving a well informed virtual tour of the product that you require. In case of an apparel, the technologies will give the consumer the ability to customize the product to their liking. This will also help in finding different colors of the same product or also finding the next size of the same product from the store easily and immediately.
Applications of these technologies in construction have made a lot of processes easier. The major change in the field is that using VR, the people involved in overseeing the construction, which are architects and engineers, can now check the site without being there physically. The technology has also helped in creating a model of the building before the construction starts. This helps the people involved to do a complete analysis and also provide the consumer with the real look of the actual finished building. This also gives an edge to the consumer where the consumer can feel exactly how the building/apartment/house would look like and also oversee the work progress from their own devices. This increases the transparency between the construction company and the consumer.

Factors to keep on mind while hiring an AR VR agency

AR and VR are technologies that are just budding into the field of corporate business. And choosing the right agency is going to make all the difference in the efficiency of the technology in your firm. Here are some factors to consider while deciding on an agency to implement AR or VR.

Accessibility: Easy accessibility is one of the main features of both the technologies. When the technology is implemented it should be made sure that is available to each and everyone involved in its usage (employees, board members). Only a well experienced agency can be able to point you to the right devices for your office environment and build the correct setup to make the technology accessible to everyone.

Compatibility: Compatibility is a major feature of both the technologies. So when you discuss the implementation of AR or VR make sure that the technology is going to be compatible with any device that requires to be connected to the system. If you plan on enabling the technology on the smart devices of the employees then go for an agency who has already had an experience in that field.
The compatibility of the technologies allows it to be easily accessible to any consumer at a time of need. The consumer can get the technologies up and running with just a few clicks on their gadgets.

Customization and flexibility: Another factor to consider is the customizations available in the implemented technology. To understand this completely, you should demand a work plan from the agencies under consideration. These work plans should contain what kind of customizations will be available to you after the technology is implemented. Being a creatively flexible technology, you should be sure to understand how to make desired customizations after implementation, if needed.
Being a popular creatively flexible technology, the agency should be able to provide you with options of creative input to display innovative ideas creatively as a simulative presentation during a meeting. Make sure you have the creative options to innovate on before you install the technology.

Portfolio: A good agency would naturally have a portfolio of the work they have done. One should also know the agencies work before hiring them. Portfolios help you understand their work, which further helps you decide whether to or not hire the agency.

Long Term Goals: Make sure you and agency that you hire are on the same page. Discuss your long term goals and the facilities you will want to avail from them. The agency and you should be in sync with both long and short term goals.

Ask for the Pitch: Before you shake hands and make a deal, make sure you have discussed the capital involved. Once you have explained the agency about your needs and wants, ask them to create a pitch and give you a price. The agency should know your budget and should be able to deliver the best under the capital constraints.

What's new in AR VR?

With the coming of the combined use of AR and VR, experts say that they will be able to create an interactive shopping environment. The VR tech gadgets will enable the consumer to navigate through a virtually created supermarket where they can compare and analyze different products and also make an informed decision using consumer reviews. The facility also offers easy tryouts using AR technology which enables the consumer to see the selected product placed in the desired environment.
Headsets: With HTC, Oculus and Sony being the top players in the VR gear field, the cheapest VR headset in the market is referred to as “Google Cardboard” which uses any smart phone and amplifies the broadcasted image using a pair of plastic magnifying lenses and a sheet of cardboard.
The next best option is to move into the world of the moderately priced headsets. The best choice in this section is namely the Samsung VR gear and other companies like LG, Zeiss VR etc. These headsets offer better software optimization facilities, a lot of attention to detail and also a dedicated VR store for service and Q&A.
But for the ultimate VR experience, it is mandatory to pay a considerably high price. The main players in this price range come under the names HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, PlayStation VR etc. With all the basic features, these headsets offer motion tracking, high-resolution screens and best graphics ever. The best case of buying a VR headset would be to go along the moderately priced headsets. The only factor to look out for while choosing a mid-ranged headset is to look if it’s compatible with your android Smartphone.

Smart glasses and lens: The AR field is different from that of VR. Specific gadgets are designed to attract different customers to the products. The Microsoft Hololens which is in its processing stage of production aims at differentiating layers of the real image which is displayed on the screen. This feature is designed to support interior decorators, aspiring designers etc.
The Epson Moverio BT-300FPV was developed as a drone support. The device helped people to watch the live field from the drone while actually monitoring the drone. The Google Glass EE is strictly developed for business use and not for regular use.
On the other hand, the Vuzix Blade AR is a basic device which can be used by anyone who is interested in the AR experience. The goggles which have the capabilities to project a bright and vivid display will also pass for normal sunglasses on a sunny day. In the case of AR goggles, any device which is lesser than 70grams and ranges around 299 – 350$ is the best option.
Upcoming trends: Both Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality are receiving updates by the minute. A major part of these are evident in social media. These updates come as added features on different social media platforms. To cite an example; Facebook started displaying 360-degree videos after an update, Snapchat has delivered a new feature which lets its users try on Adidas sneakers, etc.

Gaming promises: There are some stunning new gadgets that are now reaching the stores this year. VR has taken a jump ahead with omnidirectional VR treadmills by KATVR. The company has currently developed different sizes of treadmills to unlock the infinite spaces of any game or VR simulation. The price range of the omnidirectional VR treadmills starts from $400-$650 as the size and the specifications increase, taking the price with them.
There also a lot of stuff to watch out for in the upcoming years from the field of AR and VR. MANUSVR has brought out demos of Haptical VR gloves to increase the tactile stimulation through sensory detectors. The dates of the release of the gloves have not been announced yet and also the price, but a near alternative which is not as good as the upcoming as the gadget can be bought form the company ROADTOVR, who has now enabled a waitlist which is now open for anyone to pre-book at $250.
ROTOVR is in talks about bringing out a fully mechanized virtual reality chair for a wholesome VR experience. The chair is supposedly designed to communicate any kind of movement of the user and also report any kind of action received on the receiver to the user. Although already a popular product in the VR market with a price range that starts around $499.99, the company promises to bring in some updates to make the experience even better.

Sports and commerce: Solos have come up with goggles specially designed for cyclists, helping them monitor their speed, cadence and heart rate. These AR goggles which resemble sunglasses disable any kind of disturbances from getting into the display while the goggles are in use. The price range on the device starts from $499.00 and goes higher as specifications increase.
Another significant development is IKEA place app which enables a consumer to place furniture in a space through an AR window; this allows the consumer to check if the furniture goes along with the rest of the stuff in the whole room. The company is also bringing out IKEA store app and the IKEA catalogue app as an extension of the same app to make shopping at their store easier as the shopping list is made prior to the arrival of the consumer and the app leads the user directly to where the selected product is and also displays whether if the product is in stock or not. So its fingers crossed for 2019 for the marvelous AR/VR innovations.

Training enhancement: Augmented reality has brought some exciting developments in the field of education, apps named JigSpace and FigmentAR offer 3D visuals and portals to various destinations simultaneously, respectively. These educational innovations are platforms to explore and share interactive 3D knowledge for everything. Another step planned ahead is the Jig Workshop, which makes the app a social sharing platform making it an area of wide scope.

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