As the virtual reality (VR) market grows, so does the expectation and requirements of VR head-mounted displays (HMDs). While VR makers improve the level of engagement, ABI Research show that VR HMDs with six degrees of freedom (6 DOF) will represent over 40% of combined mobile and standalone VR in 2022.

To meet user expectations, VR HMDs have a long way to go in many features including display quality,  DOF, and connectivity. New devices with 4K display including the recently introduced movile headsets are likely to increase the attention of high resolution VR devices.

Tracking movement is another important feature for an immersive VR experience which is why getting is right is extremely important.

“A 6 DOF is the ideal goal and mobile and standalone VR devices are moving towards 6 DOF tracking to provide a total immersive experience. Mindmaze and uSens have announced 6 DOF position tracking solution for mobile VR devices, and Google announced Worldsense, a standalone VR device with 6 DOF,” says ABI Research industry analyst Khin Sandi Lynn.

When it comes to connectivity, 802.11 n/ac Wi-Fi is supported by mobile and standalone devices, however a wireless connection is likely to replace the cable connection.

As for tethered VR and high-resolution content, 60 GHz (WiGig) will play an important role to support high bandwidth in the years to come. It is expected that WiGig will be mainly be used in tethered VR devices which need multi-gigabit connectivity with low latency.

For more information on the findings from ABI Research, please visit www.abiresearch.com.