In the past few years, virtual reality has managed to bring in front new, exciting and revolutionary solutions that spanned over dozens of industries. One thing is certain, the VR experience is becoming more and more alert right now, and aside from the US, a major market for virtual reality products and ideas is definitely Europe.

Lots of companies such as Unity Studios for example are trying to revolutionize the VR world by making it more user friendly, all while trying to bring in front a higher quality experience as a whole.

This is especially true in the gaming world, where many companies from UK and France respectively are trying hard to bring in front new, exciting gameplay mechanics that focus a lot on VR. For example, Battlezone, a game created in Europe is set to launch first with PlayStation VR soon and it will be one of the first major games created with VR in mind, even though there will be plenty of other titles to receive this treatment.

Another Europe-created VR title is Until Dawn: Rush of Blood that will also come to PlayStation VR next year, in a true effort to promote the platform and bring in front extraordinary experiences for users of all ages. What both games have in common is the creation of astounding, massive game worlds that you can interact with and who will make it a lot more interesting for you to explore.

Samsung’s new Gear VR headset, is now available in Europe. Germany and the Netherlands appear to be getting the device first, but we expect it to be available in other markets soon.

CCP Games, after their recent capital infusion( $30Mn) will also be a big player for the upcoming games on Sony’s Playstation VR.

But VR is not only about gaming in Europe, as numerous other entertainment as well as military technologies are created with VR in mind. For example, Nokia has created OZO, which is a VR camera for filmmakers, whereas multiple French and UK based startups are designing virtual reality sandboxes where the military can train and become more efficient during battles.

A great startup from the UK, named The Foundry, tries to bring in front ideas of immersions and implementing them to real life situations.

It’s important to note that other companies such as Association Francaise de Realite Virtuelle, Augmentee, Mixte et de’interaction 3D, Instituto de Engenharia de Sistemas e Computadores: Investigacao e Desenvolvimento em Lisboa, Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas and many others are invested into creating a much better place for the world. They want to improve the focus on VR and design unique technologies, but rest assured that they are not alone, as numerous universities and startups all over Europe are trying to bring in front real life applications for VR.

One thing is certain, VR is bringing a major impact and from gaming to entertainment as a whole or even real life applications, virtual reality is definitely changing our life as a whole. We are all excited to see what will come next in regards to the VR technology, but European startups and companies will surely be a part of this. With a massive growth just beneath the horizon, the VR world is definitely one of the technologies that will influence the future, and Europe will surely be a part of it!

VR World Congress is expected to be held in UK in April 2016. According to the event coordinators, The Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR are slated to drop in the first half of 2016, while the consumer editions of the HTC Vive and Samsung Gear VR will have been on the market for several months. This timing gives VR World Congress a great vantage point from which to observe the VR market.