By 2030, IDTechEx predicts the augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and mixed reality (MR) market to be over $30-billion.
With Covid-19 limiting physical interaction, virtual communication and interaction will be the norm for many years to come. Although seen as futuristic by some, augmented, virtual, and mixed reality devices have shown they have an important part to play in many different industries.
Through deep analysis of both key players and technologies, IDTechEx’s most recent report on Augmented and Virtual Reality examines the trends this market will face in the coming decade.
Over the past two decades, there have been big strides in the technological development of XR products. In the early 1990s, a number of headsets were released that allowed the user to view a video on a headset from an external device. In the next decade, devices such as the Google Glass Explorer were released. These captured the imagination of many people, and it was one of the first “augmented reality” products available to consumers. Although this did not take off, it paved the way for other products to be developed.
Later in the decade, more VR and AR products were released; for example, in 2019, Magic Leap released its first product after years of funding. Oculus also released a VR headset that does not need to be connected to a computer – the Quest – proving that VR does not need to be tethered to a computer.