VRMark

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VRMark is a software that benchmarks the user’s computing system’s ability to run and handle Virtual Reality Head-mounted displays. The software is being developed by Futuremark and is set to be released in 2016.

Introduction

VRMark is being developed by Futuremark, the company that created the famous 3DMark – a graphics benchmarking utility that not only benchmarks computers but even notebooks, laptops, smartphones, tablets and high-end gaming machines. VRMark is the first VR benchmarking application. It is primarily focused on measuring a user’s system’s performance and ability to run modern HMDs. In addition, the software is also aimed to be used by reviewers to measure the latency of HMDs. The software is in development stages at the moment and is planned to be released during 2016. However, not all of the software will be released to the public .

Current Version

A Holiday Beta version of VRMark is available for free on the Steam Store but it requires the user to have the base application 3DMark installed in order to run. The Holiday Beta version of the software does not provide a score at the end of its run and is for entertainment purposes only. The software does not require a HMD to operate and can function on the user’s computer monitor too. The user can roam freely in the VRMark’s test environments. There are around four classic 3DMark scenes available in VR for Oculus Rift and HTC Vive .

The Holiday Beta version does not provide a score but ultimately measures the rank of a system on graphical powers, latency and accuracy. The latter two factors are extremely important to deliver a good VR experience and also prevent motion sickness.

Features

VRMark is designed for press, analysts and manufacturers and utilizes a combination of software and hardware to measure the system’s VR performance. It tests the system’s performance and ability to deliver high quality Virtual Reality experiences for photos, games, simulations and videos.

VRMark is meant to develop new standards and certifications to ensure the health and well-being of VR users. It is created by programmers and coders with industrial experience to ensure the best VR experience for users. VRMark has the ability to measure four different latency events:

1. Time from physical event to API event
2. Time from API event to draw call
3. Time from draw call to image on display
4. Total latency.

Futuremark has revealed that the 3rd step of testing will not be available to general public and it requires some specialized equipment for proper testing and execution .

About the Company

VRMark is a product of Futuremark, a Finnish software development company located in Espoo, Finland. Futuremark became a part of UL, a global safety science organization in 2014 and VRMark is the first product of the two companies together.