2017 brought VR cameras to everyone — in 2018 they might even use them
By Jim Bask
From Venture Beat
It’s been an exciting decade for video and still-photography cameras, but if we were to sum 2017 up as anything, it would be the year that virtual reality (VR) cameras became accessible to a much broader “prosumer” and consumer market. Previously, filming footage in full 3D 360-degree VR was limited to those with deep pockets. VR cameras were the domain of movie studios and Silicon Valley startups hoping to define the new media. It required the funds of the super-rich, remaining wildly out of reach for office and home users.
But 2017 saw some significant changes on this front. Facebook introduced Surround 360, a family of VR cameras for licensing, not for sale, to partners to help get this technology into the hands of average Facebook users. At Humaneyes Technologies, we launched the Vuze VR Camera, the first consumer-focused VR video camera with a price below $1,000. The industry also saw the introduction of a middle tier, with Insta360 Pro hovering around $3,500 that allows for live streaming in full VR….[continue reading]