Achievements of augmented and virtual reality are regularly being discussed in today’s world. It is worth noting that the gaming industry has always been taking pioneer risks when testing or introducing innovative technologies. This is also true for AR/VR: for example, the sensors in Kinect headsets for the Xbox One and Xbox 360 started their service at Microsoft Hololens. VR in gaming reaches new users every day. Virtual reality statistics say that over the past 6 months, 25% of people surveyed in the US had experienced augmented reality while another 28% have experienced VR.
Usage of machine learning algorithms in VR
Despite being used a lot in the game industry, VR and AR technologies are getting popular in other segments as well. Google, for example, developed the Clips camera, which independently chooses the right moment for shooting by utilizing machine learning algorithms. Another innovative device is Google Daydream, which is a virtual reality platform that has been primarily focused on smartphones. This experience begins by having the user insert a smartphone into a Daydream View helmet or a similar device, after which the smartphone begins to calculate and display the image in front of the user’s eyes. Thanks to this, many people who were not ready to spend substantial money on buying a full-fledged VR helmet can obtain access to a relatively high-quality VR device.
VR/AR: popularity and six statistics
One of the key popularity factors in the virtual reality industry is the ability of VR to “transmit” a person from everyday life into a fantasy world. Virtual reality growth statistics in the gaming industry show that:
- 73% of those respondents in the US who have had experience with VR over the past 6 months have only played games, 65% used VR headsets for entertainment purposes, and 60% for virtual learning;
- 17% of respondents in the US own an AR helmet. 24% of them preferred Samsung headsets, 22% – PlayStation VR, and 21% – Oculus;
- 30% of surveyed VR gamers prefer to run VR games on the console, 28% on smartphones, and 24% on PCs;
- In 2019, investors invested more than $ 6 billion in companies related to the development of AR applications;
- 81% of gamers surveyed played games with AR elements more than once.
VR and AR to streamline sales. Perspectives for 2020.
As more customers get into VR platforms, this cutting-edge technology has the potential to significantly change the shopping experience. Fully immersive VR will be able to build new approaches to how research and information are obtained about goods and services. It also presents new possibilities to rethink the way customers interact with retail stores. Many companies with worldwide store chains are relying on VR demand to help their clients decide on what to purchase by providing them with 360° VR views of the products. Moreover, 43% of manufacturing companies state that VR will become a vital need in their organization within the next three years. Besides, virtual reality usage statistics indicate that:
- 79% of respondents in the United States, of those who have had experience with augmented reality in the past 6 months, have played AR games, 59% have used AR applications for purchase purposes, and 57% have used virtual travels;
- 56% of respondents in the United States, of those who over the past 6 months had experience with augmented reality, used AR applications more than once a month. 90% of AR application users launch augmented reality through smartphones;
- VR will be used 30% by companies and their clients more in 2020 comparing to 2019.
Conclusion
VR has matured greatly in the past decade, but there are at least 5-10 years before the true potential of VR is realized around the world. There are several reasons for this, but the main one for both VR and AR is the lack of content. However, it can already be argued that virtual reality is the future not only in the perspective of gaming and entertainment but also in learning, sales, startups, and much more.
