The VR Awards 2019 is the biggest event in the UK calendar celebrating the immersive industry. The categories covered everything from videogames and hardware to companies and individuals who have either shown the most promise or helped push the XR industry forward, with some very familiar names appearing.
The most prestigious of these awards given out was The Accenture VR Lifetime Achievement Award, handed to Oculus’ John Carmack, one of the most recognisable faces working in virtual reality (VR) today. Having worked at Oculus almost since the very beginning Carmack, and given keynote addresses at every Oculus Connect event over the last few years.
Then there 12 more awards given out, with VR Hardware of the Year going to Oculus again, this time for standalone headset Oculus Quest. Ever since its arrival in May, the Oculus Quest has seen a positive response from both consumers and developers alike. It’s all-in-one design and inside-out tracking means its one of the easiest headsets to use whilst having a growing library of premium content.
Another of the big awards was VR Game of the Year. This was possibly the most hotly contested category, with the likes of Astro Bot Rescue Mission, Blood & Truth and Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice VR Edition all nominated. The award went to original puzzler A Fisherman’s Tale by Innerspace VR & ARTE France, blending scale mechanics into a story-driven experience.
- The Accenture VR Lifetime Achievement Award – John Carmack
- VR Hardware of the Year – Oculus Quest
- VR Game of the Year – A Fisherman’s Tale
- VR Experience of the Year – Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series – Episode I
- VR Film of the Year – Wolves in the Walls: It’s All Over
- VR Marketing of the Year – Oasis Pocket Adventure: The Infrunite Slide
- Rising VR Company of the Year – Fable Studio
- Innovative VR Company of the Year – Emblematic Group
- VR Social Impact Award – The 100% – Maggie’s Story
- VR Enterprise Solution of the Year – VIROO: Virtualware Immersive Room
- VR Education & Training of the Year – Working at Height
- VR Healthcare of the Year – Fundamental Surgery
- Out-of-Home VR Entertainment of the Year – War Remains
VRFocus will continue its coverage of The Academy of International Extended Reality (AIXR), reporting back with further announcements.