Google is slowly shifting its focus towards virtual reality as the tech giant recently announced that it is forming a division which will focus mainly to the development of virtual reality devices. The move came in as Google's rivalry with Facebook begin to heat up, with the latter releasing its first virtual reality headset earlier this year.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai is appointing one of his deputies, Clay Bavor, to head the newly formed division. Due to this change in the executive lineup, Google's Web application division will now fall on the hands of incoming senior vice president Diane Greene.
Bavor is considered by many as a Google veteran. According to Recode, he previously headed some of Google's major apps like Drive, Docs and Gmail. Regarding his experience in dealing with the virtual reality market, Bavor has overseen the Google Cardboard project, which is a thrifty virtual device launched in 2014.
Many tech analysts believe that Google's entry into the virtual reality race simply means that the platform is getting bigger and is getting more attention than ever before. Some analysts even consider it as the future of the Internet and media now that Microsoft, Facebook and other major companies are vying for a piece of it.
Google is not entirely a newcomer in the virtual reality platform. The search giant already has the Google Cardboard under its belt as well as the Google Glass. Although the latter was considered a flop, it is currently eyeing for a return with a new and improved Google Glass 2.0.
Virtual Reality is a relatively young market. Only a handful of virtual reality devices are currently out in the market, the latest to be released being the Oculus Rift. The headset costs $599, a factor which immediately draws some raised eyebrows in the tech community.
Samsung also has its $99 Gear VR headset which is an affordable alternative to the Oculus Rift.
In a statement acquired by USA Today, Gartner research director Brian Blau said, "VR has a bright future, but it can't happen in a vacuum. It's going to take the major ecosystem providers like Google to put their resources into it to push this technology forward."