VR for Business

2022. Meta partners with Microsoft to bring VR to Teams



Meta has announced a partnership with Microsoft to bring Windows apps and Teams tie-ins, to Meta’s metaverse hardware efforts. This means that Microsoft Teams will integrate with Quest devices and that Microsoft will provide a way to stream Windows apps to Meta’s headsets. Custom 3D avatars will eventually come to the experience. Horizon Workrooms, Meta’s VR space for collaboration, will connect with Teams, allowing people to join a Teams meeting directly from Workrooms. Microsoft 365 will come to Quest in a way that lets users interact with content from productivity apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook. These aren’t full-blown versions of apps designed for VR, importantly; They’re Progressive Web Apps, rather.


2021. Training platform Virti raises $10M to teach soft skills in VR



Digital training platform Virti has raised $10 million in a Series A. Virti works across mobile or desktop devices, or VR/AR headsets and captures data across all three to analyze, measure and give feedback on employee performance, turning a lot of subjectively assessed skills into more objective and measurable data. Virti claims its deep learning technology is improving training outcomes by up to 230% and the startups says it has increased revenues by 978%. It also has a cloud-based, no-code simulation creation suite allowing organizations to build their own bespoke training modules.

2021. SightCall raises $42M for its AR-based visual assistance platform



SightCall, a startup which has built an augmented reality platform to help field service teams, the companies they work for, and their customers carry out technical and mechanical maintenance or repairs more effectively, is announcing $42 million in funding. The core of its service is AR technology (which comes embedded in their apps or the service apps its customers use, with integrations into other standard software used in customer service environments including Microsoft, SAP, Salesforce and ServiceNow). The augmented reality experience overlays additional information, pointers and other tools over the video stream.


2020. HTC offers businesses virtual reality meetings


Hundreds of millions of people are taking online meetings from home due to the coronavirus lockdowns. And now they can do it in virtual reality. HTC announced its Vive Sync platform for business meetings in virtual reality is now in open for free (till the end of 2020). The experience of using Vive Sync should be familiar to anyone who has used VR apps before. First, you create your Vive Sync avatar, starting with a selfie and then customizing it further. The virtual meetings on Vive Sync are integrated with business tools such as OneDrive, meaning you can publish stuff like PDFs, videos, and 3D models in your virtual meeting space. Vive Sync currently supports up to 30 meeting participants per session. Of course, those participants will all have to wear Vive headsets, which range from $549 to more than $1,000, so ... you know what to do, bosses.


2018. Microsoft Visio integrates with Hololense



Microsoft is putting its AR headset Hololense forward as a way to increase productivity, quality, and safety by helping companies reimagine processes, data, and people to accelerate business impact and create value for customers. In particular, Microsoft Visio has been updated to address intelligent manufacturing scenarios, including facility layout. Microsoft will be showcasing Intelligent Manufacturing scenarios supported by Microsoft customer Dürr AG and incorporating Microsoft Visio Partners FaciWare GmbH (facility management solutions) and X-Visual Technologies GmbH (PnID solutions).