Carrying on the theme of technology shares to watch on the FTSE AIM Market, we now turn towards stocks listed on AIM who are active in the Virtual Reality space. Which, if any, of these are positioned to succeed in this growing market?
Will Virtual Reality ever reach mainstream adoption?
Virtual Reality isn’t actually new. In fact, it has been around for decades. Nintendo’s release of Virtual Boy in 1995 and SEGA’s intended release of VR headsets for their Genesis Console, for example, were extremely similar in concept to a lot of devices being developed for commercial use today.
The difference nowadays, though, is that recent developments in technology have elevated the experience to consumers, whilst also bringing down the price point. Adding to this, its merits are being tested across a wide range of other sectors, including healthcare, real estate, education and training – to name but a few. So, although gaming and entertainment will likely establish itself as the largest application of VR, it is certainly not the only source of revenue growth for companies developing such technology.
There are, of course, still obstacles along the way to mass adoption – such as the limited opportunities to properly experience and appreciate VR before purchase – but the rate of commercial advancement is certainly something to behold, as demonstrated by the number of big name players rushing to take a share of the market. Facebook (Oculus), Google, PlayStation, HTC and Samsung, for example, have all created their own devices and brought them to market.
Are there many Virtual Reality companies on AIM?
As things currently stand, we’ve found a total of seven AIM companies who are working to develop Virtual Reality technology:
EVR Holdings PLC (EVRH): By way of its MelodyVR music platform, EVRH delivers exclusive Virtual Reality music experiences and original content to music fans around the world. Working with hundreds of globally recognised international recording artists, they currently hold the world’s largest library of original Virtual Reality content, and recently broadcasted their first live streamed VR event of a Liam Payne concert using multiple view point functionality.
immedia Group PLC (IME): As part of their in-store music and communication solutions, immedia Group PLC also create custom branded experiences through Virtual and Augmented Reality. Their solutions range from virtual shopping, in-store navigation, virtual fitting rooms, product demos and crafted brand experiences.
Immotion Group PLC (IMMO): Developers of Virtual Reality cinema pods and other VR gaming platforms, IMMO have recently instigated a direct-to-consumer strategy of placing its machines in shopping centres around the UK where customers pay a small amount for a 5-minute experience. Alongside this, they also sell machines directly to third parties or strike a partnership whereby a machine is given for free in exchange for a share of the revenue each times someone plays on the machine.
Oxford Metrics PLC (OMG): OMG develops and markets analytics software for infrastructure asset management and motion measurement. The motion measurement side of the business, Vicon, saw the launch of a new location-based Virtual Reality (LBVR) solution in 2018, which is poised to make its way to virtual arcades across Europe through a partnership with VR Arcade.
Pennant International Group (PEN): Established more than 60 years ago, PEN have kept with the times through incorporating Virtual Reality into their range of technical training solutions for the next generation of engineers in the defence and regulated civilian sectors. Such solutions provide an opportunity for the trainee to interact with equipment, as well as carry out a range of training exercises under a variety of normal and emergency scenarios.
Tern PLC (TERN): One of TERN’s investments, FundamentalVR, have built an immersive, surgical simulation application platform called Fundamental Surgery that is able to provide medical professionals with the opportunity to rehearse, practice and test themselves within a safe, controllable virtual space that is as close to real life as possible. With a 26.9% holding in FundamentalVR, TERN believes it is well placed to benefit from the rapidly growing medical simulation market.
VR Education Holdings PLC (VRE): VRE are a virtual reality software company dedicated to transforming how educational content is delivered and consumed by way of its online virtual social learning and presentation platform called ENGAGE.
To discover for yourself all other Software and Technology companies on AIM, head on over to the AIM Sectors section of the website.
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