There is no denying that virtual reality (VR) has been picking up steam in popularity over the past few years. According to Statisa: in 2014 there were only ~200,000 active VR users across the world. 2017 saw ~90 million active users worldwide. (With a projected USD 2.57 billion in sales for the VR software industry.) Fortunately, the virtual world and digital technology world doesn’t stop there. If you have a few moments, I’d like to share with you a few reasons why VR will come to dominate the rest of 2018.
1. More 360° videos
Insiders and enthusiasts know that brands and companies use VR technology to create more immersive and interactive 360-degree video adds to sell insurance, real estate, etc. Here are just a few of those companies:
- IBM
- United Airlines
- Microsoft
- NASA
- Chevron
- GE
- U.S. Army
- Samsung
Advertising may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but there’s no denying the incredible value of using ultra-immersive (and stunning) 360° technology to engage customers. Nobody can also deny that the brands that fully embrace the future of technology, also appear more attractive to forward-thinking people who are as interested in futuristic explorations like a Real New World. What this means is an incredible boost in revenue and profits. Not to mention that 60ghz WiGig/Wifi 802.11AD yet hasn’t even been introduced to the major market yet – but will be included in more VR headsets, replacing receivers and emitters.
2. What We’ve Done So Far
In order to appreciate what we’re going, we need to study where we’ve been. You know already that VR is quickly gaining popularity (at an alarming rate, considering it was a technology reaching extinction in the nineties). This popularity growth is for a good reason: VR has been changing the way we interact with each other and technology.
- Surgery simulation allows trainee surgeons to “perform surgery” on patients in a safe, controlled and harmless environment in real time
- Treatment of anxiety disorders
- Stereoscopic 3DTV
- Psychiatrists help patients with phobias (such as fear of flying, fear of falling, fear of public speaking, etc.) through “real world” cognitive therapy treatment
- For the past few years, Ford Motors has used their Immersion Lab which lets them evaluate their product development processes, eliminating the need for constructing physical prototypes
3. A more immersive experience
Believe it or not, one trend that will steadily continue is the quality of immersion in VR. As our development technology advances, so do our abilities to improve graphics enhancement. In other words, VR will be even more “realer” than it is now. One reason for this is due to a binaural microphone. In actuality, these capture 360-degrees of audio. You can guess this leads to a more natural, aural landscape that mimics the actual landscape of reality as we hear it.
Conclusion
Both virtual reality and augmented reality continue to grow in the technology, entertainment and game industries (where they’ve been heavily loved for a while). Beyond that, as we’ve just seen, far more industries, brands and companies have been developing technology that reaches a broader audience. It indeed is an exciting time to be alive in the world to see these technological advances develop. However, it must be noted that a lot of what we’ve just talked about are predictions and expectations for the rest of 2018. As with anything in life, what we’ve discussed is subject to change and, in reality, might not possibly meet the heights of anticipation many of us hardcore lovers have for digital worlds.
