AMD outlines its grand vision for the future of virtual reality

AMD has come in second place behind Intel and NVIDIA in virtually every category for years, but virtual reality may be where that all changes. The company has outlined its vision for virtual reality that grants users a “full sensory experience” of sights and sounds. Not only has the company unveiled its new LiquidVR SDK, it has emphasized the importance of central processors in virtual reality. 

Advanced Micro Devices envisions an immersive virtual reality that provides a “full sensory experience” of sights, sounds, and more. Yep, AMD wants to build the holodeck. And surprise, surprise—the chip maker says it’s uniquely qualified to carry VR to the next level. The company on Tuesday introduced its new LiquidVR software development kit, designed to support VR software engines used by the likes of Facebook subsidiary Oculus VR. AMD, hosting a roundtable at the Game Developers Conference, emphasized the need for scalable central processors and graphics processors to improve VR technology. “There are a couple of rules for VR,” said Raja Koduri, head of visual computing at AMD. “Rule no. 1 is, ‘Do not break the presence.’ One of the most important aspects of that is reducing the motion-to-photon latency. And VR rule no. 2 is, ‘If your CPU and GPU can’t keep up, you throw up.”