Over the past year or so, the introduction of Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality has really set the precedent for the future of technology. These devices are taking the gaming and entertainment world by storm, but it’s been predicted that this technology is also going to intercept our everyday lives and redefine business models. The introduction of the Playstation and Samsung headsets has seen popularity soar for this technology, but it has been predicted that this kind of technology will be integrated into our everyday routine within the next 10 years.
The commercial potential for this technology has made everyday assimilation even more of a reality and this push within the next few years, despite this the success of this technology is only at the very conception of its journey.
Virtual Reality: the new computing platform
As mentioned previously, the introduction of gaming VR and AR headsets has been one of the main focuses in order to commercialise the technology and integrate it into everyday life, but Mark Zuckerberg has predicted that there is potential for this technology to completely re-establish the way business is conducted. He believes that this technology could be the platform for business and computing, and that there could be a push to include VR and AR in employee training and even the way business meetings are conducted. In order to accept this new strategy, we need to collectively break out of the traditional convention of business and allow for trial and error along the way.
Technology on the incline:
Zuckerberg also believes that within 10 years, VR and AR will be fully assimilated into our everyday lives. In order to gain more traction in markets other than gaming and entertainment, companies need to channel their app development to discover new and interesting ways to assimilate technology into everyday life.
Apadmi is a company who assisted in the conception of the very first smartphone, with their expertise, they now have a specialist research team intent on creating software programmes designed to bridge the gap between the virtual and the real world. This process is completely trial and error and global companies such as Facebook are still in the very conception stages of creating something that is marketable to the general public. They are currently in the process of axing 500 demo sites that didn’t appeal to a wide enough audience.
See the world differently:
As well as bringing entertainment to any user, Virtual Reality also has the potential to allow the user to experience things and see things that wouldn’t have been possible prior to this. There are now lots of different mobile apps and software programmes that can take people to space, to the depths of the ocean, or to the top of mount everest. This is now being seen as a new form of escapism and can help people experience new things, has been proven to help to alleviate depression and some mental illnesses. At the moment, AR and VR technology is limited to the auditory and visual senses, but as this technology improves, developers are seeking to include other senses to make this a truly incomparable experience.
Product testing and marketability:
Within the next few years, it’s been approximated that the VR market will have earned $22 billion by 2020, which will be due to hardware and software sales combines. If combined with Augmented Reality hardware and software, the sales are set to make a staggering $122 billion, which will allow for even further growth.
As software and hardware become more established within this field of technology, consumer interest will improve and there will be a deeper understanding of success from both developers and consumers, helping to make the technology a success.
(Bio: Alice Porter is an avid writer who works for a company who specialises in mobile app development and how this will be affected by virtual reality)