Summary
- VR Awards 2018: the best VR headset
- VR Awards 2018: Best VR Game
- VR Awards 2018: the best VR experience
- VR Awards 2018: Best VR Film
- VR Awards 2018: the best marketing experience
- VR Awards 2018: the best attraction in VR
- VR Awards 2018: Best Rising Company
- VR Awards 2018: the best innovative company
- VR Awards 2018: education category
- VR Awards 2018: health category
- VR Awards 2018: social impact category
- VR Awards 2018: architecture and real estate category
Since 2017, the VR Awards organized by the company VR Bound recognize the greatest successes in the virtual reality industry. During this ceremony, to which several hundred players in the sector are invited, a big winner is chosen from among the nominees of the different categories.
VR Awards 2018: the best VR headset
For this 2018 edition, the nominated for the best VR headset category were the HTC Vive Pro, the Oculus Go, the VRHero 5K Plus from VRgineers Inc, and the HTC Vive Focus.
Unsurprisingly, the HTC Vive Pro won the award. Remember that this is the best performing VR headset currently available to the general public.
VR Awards 2018: Best VR Game
In the category of best game of 2018, the nominees were numerous:
Cloudhead Games Ltd. – The Gallery – Episode 2: Heart of the Emberstone
Bethesda Softworks – Fallout 4 VR
Bethesda Softworks – The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR
Beat Games - Beat Saber
Survios Inc. – Sprint Vector
Ready At Dawn – Lone Echo / Echo Arena
Hidden Path Entertainment – Brass Tactics
Vertical Robot – Red Matter
VRWERX – Paranormal Activity: The Lost Soul
TREE Immersive Experiences – Pixel Ripped 1989
inXile Entertainment – The Mage’s Tale
Electric Hat Games – TO THE TOP
nDreams – Shooty Fruity
It is finally the game from Cloudhead Games who was voted the winner. This adventure game, which follows a first episode released in 2016, is distinguished by a fascinating storyline, dazzlingly beautiful graphics and interesting and ingenious puzzles to solve.
VR Awards 2018: the best VR experience
Another category of the VR Awards 2018 was that of “VR experiences”. While some of these experiences may have video game elements, they are too brief to be categorized as games. The nominees were:
Flight School – Manifest 99
REWIND – Silicon Valley: Inside The Hacker Hostel
Framestore – A Moon For All Mankind
With the – Coco VR
With the – Blade Runner 2049: Memory Lab
Preloaded and BBC Worldwide – BBC Earth: Life in VR – California Coast
Tomorrow Never Knows – The Day The World Changed
Framestore – Sky4DVR
Human Interact – Starship Commander
Interactive Media Foundation gGmbHl – Ulm Stories – The Dream of Flying
NextVR – NBA League Pass in NextVR: 2017-2018 Regular Season
This is the experience Manifest 99 de Flight School who won the prize. A visually sumptuous experience, which offers the user to embark on a journey into the afterlife aboard a mysterious train occupied by crows.
VR Awards 2018: Best VR Film
In the virtual reality movies category, more and more in vogue, the competition was again fierce with many films already acclaimed in various film festivals. The nominees were:
ILMxLAB - MEAT and SAND
Baobab Studios – Asteroids!
Pink Kong Studios - Aurora
Room One Films – The Committee
Lucid Dreams Productions – The Sun Ladies
Olympic Channel & Jaunt – Trending Gold
Vision3 – My Africa
NSC Creative – Vestige
FoxNext VR Studio – Isle of Dogs Behind the Scenes
TopDogVR – Speed Kills VR
The big winner is ILMxLAB's film CARNE y ARENA, already awarded an Oscar in 2017. A poignant virtual reality film, directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, which offers viewers put yourself in the shoes of a migrant the time of a short film ...
VR Awards 2018: the best marketing experience
Virtual reality is a powerful tool for marketing, and many companies have figured it out. In this category, there were both promotional experiences based on films and applications developed by brands like the IKEA VR store. The nominees were:
With the – Coco VR
ILMxLAB – Star Wars™: Droid Repair Bay
Flight School and Momentum Worldwide – GMC Rangeland Derby VR
BackLight – L’Oreal / Diesel Only the Brave
Pebble Studios – Pebble Studios: DuckTales | 360° Adventure: The Lost Key of Tralla La
Somewhere Else – Delicatessen
GrandPano – SPP – SMART HOME
With the – Blade Runner 2049: Memory Lab
Welcomm (et Bravo! / Plato Reality) – Melbourne, meet your new train
TAKELEAP – IKEA Virtual Reality Store
Audi and ZeroLIght – Audi VR Experience
The award was given to Coco VR, the experience that offers to immerse yourself in the universe of Pixar's latest animated film. An experience acclaimed by critics for its many good ideas.
VR Awards 2018: the best attraction in VR
One of the categories of VR Awards rewards “out-of-home” virtual reality experiences, namely the attractions taking place in an equipped and dedicated center. The nominees were:
ILMxLAB and The VOID – Star Wars™: Secrets of the Empire
Figment Productions – Kraken Unleashed, SeaWorld Orlando
Framestore – A Moon For All Mankind
BackLight - Eclipse
Neurogaming Limited – World of Tanks VR
HOLOGATE - HOLOGATE
Kynoa - Soccer VR Coliseum
Neurogaming Limited – PolygonVR
Frontgrid - ParadropVR
Unsurprisingly, ILMxLAB and The Void and their official Star Wars ™: Secrets of the Empire experience was voted the winner. Deployed in American Disney parks and in dedicated centers (notably in London for Europe), this formidable VR attraction offers a group of users immerse yourself in the world of Star Wars. Equipped with VR headsets and a backpack PC, players move simultaneously in the virtual world and in a real world space designed to stimulate all the senses. All virtual elements are tangible in the real world.
VR Awards 2018: Best Rising Company
In addition to devices and software, the VR Awards also recognize companies in the industry. In the category of booming businesses, the nominees were:
Neurogaming Limited
Flight School
SpringboardVR
VRgineers Inc.
Fast Travel Games AB
Cooperative Innovations
Anzu.io
The award was won by Neurogaming Limited. Born from a partnership between VRTech and Wargaming, the developer of the World of Tanks game, this firm specializes in “out-of-home” VR experiences. These are multiplayer VR experiences taking place in a large dedicated space, in which players move simultaneously in the real world and the virtual world.
VR Awards 2018: the best innovative company
In the nascent virtual reality industry, innovation is the key word. This is the reason why the VR Awards recognize the most innovative companies. In this category, the nominees were:
Ultrahaptics
Striker VR
Pixvana
Spinview
AiSolve
TAKELEAP
Human Interact
Visbit Inc.
Flipside
Gravity Sketch
L’award was awarded to Ultrahaptics. This company is developing ultrasound-based haptic feedback technology to allow VR headset users to touch objects in the virtual world. Its mid-air haptics solution is considered by The Verge as the human-machine interface of the future.
VR Awards 2018: education category
Education is one of the main areas of application of virtual reality. In this context, the ceremony rewards the best platforms and software dedicated to this use case. The nominees were:
Schell Games - HoloLAB Champions
MEL Science – MEL Chemistry VR
Elara Systems – Alcon Virtual Eye Experience
ITI, United Rentals, & Serious Labs – VR Crane & Equipment Operator Training Simulator Suite
Alliander - Alliander Virtual Platform
VR Factory - Bartender VR Simulator
MEDIASQUAD media development and sales company – Pharmaceutical Line Clearance VR Training
FarBridge, Inc. – MasterWorks: Journey Through History
The big winner is Schell Games et son application HoloLAB Champions. It is a virtual reality laboratory, allowing students to perform chemical experiments safely and without having to invest in real equipment. Development was notably funded by the Institute of Education Sciences and the Small Business Innovation Research program.
VR Awards 2018: health category
Virtual reality is on the way to transforming the healthcare industry. In this category, the nominees for the VR Awards 2018 were:
Cooked - Cook
Elara Systems – Alcon Virtual Eye Experience
Medical Media - 3D Organon VR Anatomy - Enterprise edition
VRHealth – First Certified VR Medical Device Company in the world
Rescape Innovation Ltd – DR.VR
Infinite MR – Cigna Peak Challenge
INFINITE MIXED REALITY – INFINITY HOUSE
appliedVR – EaseVR
NUMENA Virtual Reality Architects – B. Braun Spine Days
The award was given to Virti and its educational mobile application in virtual and augmented reality. This smartphone application makes it possible to train doctors and other actors in the world of health, saving time and money.
VR Awards 2018: social impact category
Several studies tend to demonstrate this: virtual reality creates empathy and sensitivity. This is the reason why VR experiences can impact society and help change the world. In this category, the nominees were:
VISION – Window to our World
ILMxLAB - MEAT and SAND
The Distillery – What Will Your Day Bring?
Flight School – Evolution of Testicles
The Guardian Media Group – The Party – A virtual experience of autism
Virtual Dream Foundation – Virtual Dream
CNN – Global Warning – Arctic Melt
VR CITY – Malaria: Life on the frontline
Animal Equality – The Dairy Industry in 360 Degrees
The winner is VISYON with its Window to our World experience. It is a 5-minute short film in which we discover the daily life of abandoned or abused children, and how adoption into foster families changes their lives for the better.
VR Awards 2018: architecture and real estate category
Architecture and real estate are two sectors where virtual reality is experiencing a very high adoption rate. Indeed, VR allows both to design buildings and to show properties. In this category, the nominees were:
Nanopixel - Bostoen
GrandPano – ALL in ONE VR for architecture
Virtual Worlds – Virtual Worlds 4D Theatre
Overstruct - Overstruct
The big winner is Nanopixel and its “housing configuration” application created for the real estate developer Bostoen. Thanks to this impressive platform, future home or apartment buyers can fully customize a home without even having to wait for it to be built. A nice glimpse into the future of real estate.
