Key takeaways
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Popular VR companies include CitrusBits, Groove Jones, Magic Leap, Matterport, Sandbox VR, Shockoe, Snap Inc., Unity, and Vicarious Surgical.
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VR technology companies offer a variety of services, including product design, mobile app development, audience engagement installations, consulting, and augmented reality.
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A few companies that specialize in AR/VR development include CitrusBits, Groove Jones, and Unity.
Companies that develop VR entertainment content include Sandbox VR, Snap Inc., and Unity. Continue learning about VR companies, but first, learn precisely what virtual reality is and what types of industries use it.
If you’ve decided to begin developing your VR skills, enroll in the Virtual Reality Specialization offered by the University of London. In as little as two months, you can learn about display devices, computer graphics, video game development, animations, Unity Engine, and more.
What is virtual reality?
Virtual reality refers to an alternate world generated through computer simulation. To experience VR, you’ll need to access a computer or smartphone app or put on a headset with a built-in processor. A VR experience may also require wearable equipment with sensors, such as a vest, a suit, or a pair of gloves.
When designing VR, creators take many factors into account. These typically include:
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Believability: How real and lifelike the virtual world is
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Comfort: How comfortable the user feels in the virtual environment
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Immersion: The level of involvement the user has with the virtual experience
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Intuitiveness: How the virtual environment responds to user interaction
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User control: How in control the user feels in the virtual environment
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User safety: How safe a user feels in the virtual environment
What kinds of industries benefit from VR technology companies?
While once associated with gaming and social media, VR technology now plays an important role in various industries. Types of industries that currently use VR include:
10 top VR companies and their services
To better understand VR’s role in different industries, it helps to explore companies that specialize in VR products or services. Explore these 10 virtual reality companies to know right now.
1. CitrusBits
Based in Pleasanton, California, CitrusBits offers various services, including product design, software development, mobile app development, and technical support. With extensive knowledge in augmented reality (AR) and VR innovation, this award-winning firm continually helps clients from many industries achieve their technological goals.
2. Groove Jones
The team at Groove Jones uses proprietary technology labeled GrooveTech™ to perform a variety of services for clients. Specializing in extended reality (XR), an umbrella term covering AR, VR, and mixed reality (MR), this Texas-based company provides the following services and more:
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Animation and computer-generated imagery (CGI)
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Audience engagement installations
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Camera lenses and photo filters for social platforms
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Consulting and support services
3. Magic Leap
From its home base in Plantation, Florida, Magic Leap develops software and human-computer interfaces (HCI). The company’s most prominent product to date, Magic Leap 2, targets business users. This AR headset lets users view their normal environment integrated with digital content. Magic Leap 2 allows business team members worldwide to collaborate remotely, resulting in travel savings, better workflows, a more productive workforce, and a higher return on investment (ROI).
4. Matterport
Operating from Sunnyvale, California, Matterport specializes in spatial data. This company serves various industries like manufacturing, real estate, and travel by providing digital 3D views of homes, offices, shops, hotels, and factories. Matterport’s spatial computing platform helps ensure optimal building design, construction, repair, and marketing.
5. Niantic (now Scopely Explore)
Acquired by Scopely, headquartered in Culver City, California, in 2025, Scopely Explore (formerly Niantic) develops AR applications and games that inspire users to connect with and explore the outdoors. The original creators of the technology that became Google Earth and Google Maps, Niantic also created Lightship, a platform for developers to build new AR experiences or add them to existing products, and popular games like Peridot and Pokemon GO.
6. Sandbox VR
Also based in San Francisco, Sandbox VR designs and develops immersive VR experiences for up to six players. Interested parties can find Sandbox VR locations in the US, Europe, and Asia. Players can choose from various storylines, and technical gear like motion capture cameras, haptic suits, and 3D body trackers allows for a realistic experience and exciting player interaction.
7. Shockoe
This Virginia-based firm focuses on mobile app development. By designing intuitive apps customized to client needs, they help businesses meet goals, increase customer and brand loyalty, encourage user engagement, and boost the client’s bottom line. In addition to creating mobile apps, Shockoe specializes in optimizing them for wearables like smartwatches and headsets.
8. Snap Inc.
Based in Santa Monica, California, Snap Inc. may be best known for developing Snapchat, a camera-based social media platform. Snapchat allows users to share photos or videos (snaps) with friends that disappear after they’re viewed by recipients unless saved by the sender. Extensions of Snapchat include Snap AR featuring Lens Studio, which allows creators to share augmented reality experiences on Snapchat, and Spectacles, which provide AR sharing and exciting interactive opportunities.
9. Unity
San Francisco-based Unity builds software platforms that people use to create and interact with 2D, 3D, AR, and VR content. Creators of Unity software include architects, artists, auto designers, builders, engineers, filmmakers, and video game designers. Unity offers free subscription plans for new users and students, as well as various paid subscription plans that are dependent upon creative needs.
10. Vicarious Surgical
Based in Waltham, Massachusetts, Vicarious Surgical specializes in medical robotics. The company’s current robot design offers optimal visibility with the use of a 3D high-definition camera and better precision and instrument control for surgeons. This makes surgery more efficient, which can help lower health care costs. In addition, the minimally invasive design of the surgical procedure often results in fewer complications for patients, shorter healing times, and better outcomes overall.
What companies use VR?
You may recognize the names of several companies that use VR, such as American Express, IKEA, and The New York Times. When American Express sponsored the US Open for professional tennis, the company developed an interactive VR event in which you could compete against pro tennis player Maria Sharapova. IKEA, the large furniture maker, collaborated with Apple to create a VR application that enables you to virtually place IKEA furniture in your home, ensuring you purchase the item you want. Finally, The New York Times worked with a tech firm to develop a VR app that augments their news stories. For example, through the app, a reader can experience what life is like in a refugee camp from the perspective of a child who lives there.
Discover more about VR with our free resources
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Watch on YouTube:How to Become a Software Developer
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Read our Career Chat issue:How to Become a Game Developer
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Bookmark for future study:Virtual Reality (VR) Terms: A to Z Glossary
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