So there it is, the upside of VR with the potential to transform the $92B game market with new immersive experiences, previously unmatched. This on the heels of VR forecasts from IHS for the technology to reach up to $2.6B in sales and grow from perhaps +12M units this year (Statista numbers) to 137M units by the end of the decade according to IHS. But well beyond conventional gaming, the technology has the potential to reshape entertainment, as we know it, bringing virtual reality to areas as diverse as fitness and pervasive as the film industry.
Think of it, your local 24-Hour fitness studio replacing those treadmills with racks of gaming platforms hosting sports, first person shooter and athletic gameplay while the pounds simply melt off as a by-product (goodbye to simple TVs and running to CNN). Cinemas too will change, with the potential to offer moviegoers an extension to the very experience they just viewed, or are waiting to see, not just as a passive bystander munching on popcorn, but engaged directly in the film genre–oh, for a price of course.
At CES, AR technology also took on new meaning as new developments in mobility will continue to transform what has mostly been enterprise use, and maybe, just maybe, extend into consumer space. That is, if non-obtrusive glassess can shed their “geek-ish” baggage and empower the next generation of smart (always-on and connected) humans with instant way-finding, face recognition reminders (what’s that guy’s name again?), not to mention on the fly sports and news updates and yes photographic memory performance. All this experience could be brought into context and seamlessly into our daily lives – that just keeps getting sweeter all the time! – Steve Sechrist
