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| LG Uplus employees play a 5G-based cloud VR game at the company's head office in Seoul, Tuesday, ahead of its press conference that announced a plan to launch the service by the end of the year. / Courtesy of LG Uplus |
By Jun Ji-hye
LG Uplus will launch a fifth-generation (5G)-based cloud virtual reality (VR) game service within the year, the mobile carrier said Tuesday.
The service allows users to skip complicated processes to play VR games such as running games on PCs, connecting cables and installing devices, as the service enables games to be streamed via cloud servers powered by low-latency 5G networks.
During a media conference in Seoul, LG Uplus claimed it will become the world's first company to launch such a service.
The telecom company will cooperate with Kakao VX and Lotte World to expand the 5G-based cloud game service infrastructure and secure VR content.
"LG Uplus will enhance its 5G leadership by offering high-quality VR and augmented reality (AR) content based on our 5G network technologies that deliver ultra-low latency," said Kim Jun-hyung, a vice president at 5G service group at LG Uplus.
To offer users opportunities to experience 5G-based cloud VR games in advance, the company will operate experience zones at about 90 retail stores nationwide, beginning this month.
About ten VR games including "Arizona Sunshine" and "Into the Rhythm," which are popular on global online game platform Steam will be offered at the beginning stage, LG Uplus said, noting that it will increase the number of games to be offered to about 20 by the end of August in partnership with Kakao VX and Lotte World.
Lotte World is a leading VR content provider here that has developed about 10 VR games in cooperation with small- and medium-sized enterprises since 2016.
Kakao VX, a subsidiary of Kakao Games, has launched a VR game "VR Golf Online" in 2017 and expanded its business area by integrating sports and IT technologies.
"We will check how users accept 5G-based cloud VR games before commercializing the service by the end of the year," Kim said.
VR games have been gaining keen interest in the market as "killer content" in the 5G era.
According to analyst firm Digi Capital, VR games could account for around 50 percent of the whole VR market that could reach $10 billion to $15 billion in 2023.
