Extended Reality: Brave New Virtual World – What is currently happening (2018) in virtual reality

This article is from August 24, 2018 and was retrieved today (November 9, 2022). What happened in the meantime? How has virtual reality developed in the meantime?

+++ What Germans are doing in virtual reality +++ Predicted increase in sales of virtual reality products by 2020 +++ Germans prefer personal contact +++ The future of VR glasses on the gaming market +++ Virtual reality is particularly attractive for gaming +++ Bright future for augmented reality +++ Facebook increases Oculus sales +++ Planning your vacation with virtual reality? +++

What the Germans are doing in virtual reality

89 percent of German citizens have heard of virtual reality - but only one in six have ever visited it. This is shown by a study by the Digital Association of Germany .

But what do Germans do when they find themselves in this virtual reality? 72 percent of those surveyed who have tried VR glasses used them to play video games. The second and third most popular activities are exploring travel destinations and watching movies. Only 8 percent of VR users invested time in educational or learning projects.

Projected increase in sales of virtual reality products by 2020

VR technology, especially so-called VR glasses, is suitable for experiencing computer games up close, but also for taking part in concerts from your sofa at home or visiting an apartment on the other side of the world. As our graphic shows, it is primarily content sales that are expected to grow rapidly. The market for hardware could begin to show signs of saturation as early as 2019, as data from Deloitte and Bitkom suggest .

Germans prefer personal contact

We can now reach large parts of the world from our desks. For example, we can contact our health insurance company via chat or explore our next vacation destination in advance via Google Street View. A GfK study shows that Germans are rather suspicious of this. Only 13 percent of German online users agree with the statement “virtual contacts with people or places can be just as good as personal contacts or actually being there,” while one in three expressly disagrees. In contrast, a third of Brazilians and Turks, for example, find virtual interactions just as good as personal contact. A total of 27,000 Internet users from 22 countries were surveyed for the study.

The future of VR glasses on the gaming market

According to a survey by the Federal Association of Interactive Entertainment Software, there are just over 34 million gamers in Germany. Of these, 18.4 million play on PCs and 15.6 million on games consoles. For many of you, the virtual world will soon become wider - if you decide to buy virtual reality glasses. The industry association Bitkom estimates the buyer potential in this country at 20 million. And the market is on the verge of mass compatibility. Consumers now have the choice between a range of sophisticated models. In 2016 alone, three systems from well-known manufacturers came onto the market: Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and the PlayStation VR.

VR glasses are now used for very different purposes

When it comes to private use, what appeals most to potential users of VR glasses is the improved experience when playing computer games, which feels even more real thanks to the device. In a Bitkom study, 41 percent of those surveyed said that this application option would interest them most. 35 percent could imagine taking virtual trips with VR glasses, as the graphic shows.

Bright future for augmented reality

Facebook relies on augmented and virtual reality . It seems logical that the largest social network in the world is developing its offering in this direction. Analysts predict a rosy future for this technologically enhanced reality. IDC, for example, expects that augmented reality will reach a sales volume of around 49 billion US dollars by 2021, with applications and devices from the field of virtual reality expected to bring in a further 19 billion US dollars.

Facebook increased Oculus sales in 2017

IDC, a total of 2.1 million AR and VR headsets were sold worldwide in the second quarter - with the majority being VR glasses. An example of this is the Oculus Rift, of which Facebook (which took over the VR glasses manufacturer in March 2014) was able to sell around 247,000. The Oculus market share has increased from 4.4 percent in the previous quarter to 11.6 percent. The reason for this leap forward is probably the lower price of VR glasses. However, Samsung and Sony remain market leaders, with a total of almost 1.1 million devices delivered to customers. IDC market researchers predict a bright future for augmented reality, according to a forecast from April.

Planning your vacation with virtual reality?

What potential and possibilities arise from virtual reality in the online booking process for holiday trips? For this purpose, a representative survey was carried out among German Internet users. Users are already tending to minimize the risk when booking travel through the options available by using various digital platforms before booking. For 62 percent of those surveyed, it is already conceivable to use virtual reality to get an impression of the travel destination. 13 percent would even be willing to pay for such a service. Virtual Reality would therefore be on a similar level to Street View services and ahead of photo and video platforms.

 

 

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