With initial support for Autodesk VRED only, the Varjo Reality Cloud platform now supports Unity and Unreal Engine (UE) projects, making it easy to stream high-fidelity XR/VR content directly to Varjo's headsets.
Powered by Amazon Web Services (AWS) in addition to NVIDIA GPUs, Varjo Reality Cloud, released earlier this year, allows streaming of VR and MR content in real-time to supported devices for both professional and prosumer users. Used by Rivian, Volvo Cars, KIA Motors, and other enterprises scaling their VR/XR workflows, Varjo Reality Cloud represents a significant milestone for Varjo's long-term journey to allow access to VR and MR anytime, anywhere.
"Varjo has cracked the code for VR/XR immersive streaming. No other industry players have accomplished cloud streaming with multiple software and devices like Varjo Reality Cloud," said Urho Konttori, co-founder and CTO of Varjo. "We make it easy for companies to jumpstart their industrial metaverse strategy, and we are excited to extend Varjo Reality Cloud to the developer community with the addition of Unity and Unreal Engine."
As the two most popular 3D engines worldwide, Unity and UE are baseline tools for anyone designing in 3D, such as creators, developers, and architects across gaming, entertainment, healthcare, construction, and more.
For example, Aston Martin has used Varjo's human-eye resolution XR-3 headset to analyze a Unity model of the Aston Martin DBX. Phiaro, a concept car specialist, used the XR-3 to combine a real-life video feed with 3D car renders designed within Unity or UE, with the custom positional tracking. Using UE and Varjo Aero, 3D content studio ZOAN is building its brand-new headquarters in a completely virtual environment. Combining Unity and Varjo's technology, boatbuilder Arksen has converted a digital showcase of their 85′ explorer yacht into a virtual reality experience.
With the Varjo Reality Cloud's addition of Unity and UE support, users can now upload Unity or UE projects and easily launch them from Varjo's cloud.
"Varjo Reality Cloud is an absolute breakthrough for building a photorealistic and seamless open-world experience like Cornerstone," commented Tomi Laitila, Head of Operations at Cornerstone, ZOAN. "The human-eye resolution VR streaming experience enabled by Varjo is the perfect match with our graphically ambitious Unreal Engine projects. Thanks to Varjo's pioneering work with cloud technology, now anyone can empower themselves to stream visually jaw-dropping Unreal experiences at a never-before-seen scale."
While users would need a $4000 and above workstation to run XR/VR experiences on Varjo's headsets before Varjo Reality Cloud, Varjo now provides a similar experience to mid-segment, sub $2000 laptops through streaming. "This is great from two perspectives," added Mat Zagaynov, Head of Product at Varjo. "First, that pricing gives you a very attractive TCO, and ROI. Then, laptops are lightweight and mobile, meaning you can use the virtual reality commercial experiences on the go."
Earlier this year, Varjo secured $40 million in Series D funding backed by EQT Ventures, Atomico, Volvo Car Tech Fund, Lifeline Ventures, and new strategic investors Mirabaud and Foxconn. This funding enables Varjo to build a true-to-life, industrial metaverse for all professionals, mainly focusing on the development of Varjo Reality Cloud. In 2023, Varjo wants to allow any user to join immersive collaborative sessions from other third-party headsets and a variety of iOS and Windows devices, including phones, tablets, and PCs. The company plans to support untethered VR/AR headsets and specialty manufacturers for mobile and PC devices in the future.
Varjo Reality Cloud, with cloud streaming support for Unity and Unreal Engine, is available at $299 per month per user. For Varjo Aero, there is a three-month Varjo Reality Cloud bundle for $2,690.
