The bumpy rollout of virtual reality headsets has led to some lower sales projections this year as the emerging technology has failed to match the hype in the early going.
New York-based SuperData Research Inc. lowered its sales outlook for VR hardware and software sales this year to $2.8 billion, down 22% from its early March forecast. That followed a bullish note from R.W. Baird’s Colin Sebastian, who recently forecasted Oculus Rift unit sales to be in the range of 500,000 to 1 million units, roughly half of consensus estimates.
Oculus VR Inc., which started in Irvine and maintains a presence here after its $2 billion 2014 sale to Menlo Park-based Facebook Inc., cited a component shortage for delayed deliveries to consumers, who months ago shelled out as much as $1,500 for the Rift headset and PC-ready bundle. Tokyo-based Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. actually pushed its launch of PlayStation VR from the first half of the year to October, citing unexpected demand.
Samsung Electronics Co. in November became the first manufacturer to release a commercial virtual reality headset, although content on the Samsung Gear VR can be displayed only through an app running on the Note 4, Galaxy S6, S6 Edge or the newly released Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge smartphones.
Gear VR is powered by Oculus and utilizes Laguna Beach-based NextVR Inc.’s ultra-high-definition, 3-D virtual reality technology and content to create 360-degree videos.
Exec on Security Board
Steven Chabinsky, general counsel and chief risk officer of Irvine-based security software maker CrowdStrike Inc., has been named to the nonpartisan Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity.
The 12-member body, appointed by President Barack Obama, comprises business, technology and academic leaders charged with devising an action plan to strengthen cybersecurity in the public and private sectors over the next decade.
The group, which includes the chief executive of MasterCard; a former NSA director and a former NSA adviser; and Uber and Microsoft executives, recently held its first meeting at the U.S. Department of Commerce, where members were joined by Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Lisa Monaco, and other officials.
“It’s crucial that we lay the groundwork for the safer and more resilient use of emerging technologies and digital information for generations to come,” Chabinsky told the Business Journal.
CrowdStrike last year raised $100 million in a Series C funding round led by Google Capital. It employs about 370 in offices in California, Washington and Minnesota. Its OC and Los Angeles offices account for about 55 employees.
The company, established in 2011, posts annual revenue of more $50 million and has a roster of hundreds of government agencies and Fortune 500 customers that pay a monthly subscription for software services delivered through the cloud. It’s among a handful of companies in the world accredited by the National Security Agency to respond to and remediate cybersecurity incidents.
Event Celebrates Photography
Huntington Beach-based camera accessories maker olloclip partnered with photo editing app developer PicsArt in San Francisco to host a global mobile photography walk. The event, which was held May 1 to celebrate National Photography Month, went from Tokyo to San Francisco, with stops in Los Angeles, Shanghai, Berlin and Mexico City. Users of olloclip’s smartphone macro, ultra-wide and fisheye lenses captured images of the cities, editing and sharing them on PicsArt, which has more than 65 million monthly visitors. The first 24 people to register in person at each walk received a free iPhone-compatible olloclip Lens and matching ollo Case. PicsArt held separate contests on May 2.
