VESA works on a standard to unify VR and AR

Robert Sole 9 May 2017

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VESA Logo.svg

Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) is developing a new standard to unify virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) and make it easier to work between platforms.

The Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) has announced that they are working with special interest in establishing standards for virtual reality (VR) and for augmented reality (AR). VESA currently manages the development and standardization of several commercial video ports, such as the DisplayPort, which was developed by this association. In addition, DisplayPort has divisions such as Embedded DisplayPort and Extended Display Identification Data as standards and the DisplayID extension. These standards guarantee that we do not have to worry when choosing a new monitor and its compatibility with the graphics card or cable that uses them. VESA wants to do the same with VR and AR.

[quote bcolor=»#dd9933″]As many developers focus on improving user experience and making products more timeless, the lack of standardization is causing compatibility issues between products from different manufacturers, as well as increasing the complexity and cost of development, ownership, and replacement. Lack of compatibility can also create confusion among end users and prevent wider acceptance of VR/AR products.[/quote]

THE DISPLAYPORT PORT EXPLAINED IN DEPTH

This indicates that VESA wants to offer a solution that competes with the OpenXR Working Group revealed in February. This group is developing the OpenXR standard and to do so they are developing cross-platform XR software that is easier than the existing one right now. Developers today have to navigate an overly broad network of APIs, SDKs, and game engines. OpenXR should change it, but the utility is only based on the software, the idea of VESA is to go beyond the software and reinforce the compatibility with the hardware. VESA does not ignore the software, it has only set a few goals:

[quote bcolor=»#dd9933″]

Establish the hierarchical structure of AR / VR services, including physical connections, data transfer protocols, software drivers, and application layers.
Define the basic communication data structure and the communication channel between source and peripheral devices.
Study related technologies and algorithms, and standardize them to allow for economical and efficient implementation.
Suggest any changes to existing VESA standards that may be necessary for better AR / VR support.

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Source: VESA