Top 8 AR & VR Companies Making a Breakthrough in 2022

Small AR & VR companies have made significant inventive breakthroughs this year

While much Big Tech XR is still rumor and hype, smaller firms have made significant inventive breakthroughs toward useful and entertaining computing. Applied VR and others are creating virtual reality experiences that have a significant impact on an increasing range of mental health conditions.

Here are the top 8 AR & VR companies for the year 2022.

1. GOOGLE

Google Maps now displays augmented reality place labels and directions on your phone to assist you in navigating complicated interior areas such as subway stations, airports, and retail malls. Google claims that it employs AI to analyze millions of images in order to determine the user's viewpoint position for the Live View function. It also makes use of novel ways to determine the precise height and location of things within a structure. Google released the service for malls in a few locations in March 2021, and it has been actively growing the deployment to airports, malls, and transport stations in new cities ever since.

2. NVIDIA

While other tech firms discussed customer experiences in the virtual world, Nvidia was working on the technology required to achieve it. Most people believe that a genuine metaverse is an open space where you may transport your avatar, digital belongings, and cash to whichever virtual reality "world" you desire to visit. Enabling that openness might be the long game for Nvidia's new breakthrough Omniverse platform, which lets developers from many firms use various tools to rapidly exchange and sync 3D visuals.

3. NIANTIC

In 2021, a number of major technology firms demonstrated to the world how they believe metaverse encounters would feel. They were conceived using current technologies, which is why they seemed locked off and proprietary, like in a VR headset. Niantic offers a totally different perspective on the metaverse one that is inextricably linked to the natural world. Of course, Niantic popularized AR gaming with its revolutionary Pokémon Go, which pushed players to go outside and collect Pokémon hiding around the real world.

4. SNAP

Snap, which was also named one of the Most Innovative Companies last year, continues to introduce millions of individuals to the potential of AR gradually instead of all at once. This year, Snap improved its try-on technology to enable more precise eyeglass fittings. It also collaborated with Prada to deploy gesture-recognition technology, allowing Snapchat users to indicate to the Snap camera when they wish to see another bag or view it in a different color. In addition, the firm provides brand data on customer buying activity so that they may learn more about which items and styles are popular.

5. SIGHTCALL

SightCall's augmented reality solution enables customer support representatives to provide real-time video help to distant consumers, complete with superimposed visual graphics. Clients point their cameras to issue areas, and SightCall employs and artificial intelligence to walk them through the procedures necessary to address their problem. SightCall Digital Flows, a self-service alternative that allows users to attend AR support sessions targeted to address specific problems without the support of a customer service agent, was released in 2021.

6. APPLIEDVR

AppliedVR, a digital therapeutics business, has created a series of two- to 16-minute VR sessions to help patients with persistent lower back pain deal with discomfort using its unique EaseVRx device. A doctor prescribes the equipment, which includes a VR headset and joystick, as well as a "breathing amplifier" linked to the headgear that directs a patient's breath into the headset's speaker for use in deep-breathing activities. Deep relaxation, focus shifting, diversion, immersive delight, and healthy exercise are among the skills taught by the VR program.

7. AVEGANT

Augmented reality glasses confront substantial technological challenges. So far, no technology firm has succeeded in cramming screens, sensors, computers, and batteries into a form factor tiny and light enough to be worn for lengthy periods of time. Avegant, a tiny Menlo Park, California-based part supplier, may have overcome one significant obstacle by miniaturizing the light processors that generate digital graphics within the optics of AR glasses.

8. HTC VIVE

HTC's third attempt at a standalone VR headset, the Vive Focus 3, was a success. The unique headset's 5K high-resolution visuals, precise head tracking, and 120-degree field of vision far outperform consumer VR headsets on the market today. HTC equipped the headset with a one-of-a-kind active cooling mechanism (a fan), allowing it to push the CPU hard enough to deliver more appealing and immersive AR content. However, Focus 3 is not a consumer product. It is intended for and priced for business budgets of $1,300. It will be well worth it for many commercial clients.