Virtual Reality Trends to Look Forward to in 2018

There were 200,000 active virtual reality users in 2014. 2017 saw an exponential growth trajectory to 90 million active users. If you look at the growth chart of VR industry its apparent that exciting times lie ahead.

Virtual reality software industry has gone from $129 million in 2015 to a projected $2.57 billion industry in 2018.

The entire VR industry is projected to be worth $5.2 billion in 2018, and $45 billion by 2025 - up from a measly $90 million in 2014.

The future of VR is nothing short of exciting. Here is a glimpse of the virtual reality industry beyond 2018.

1. Evolution of 360 degree videos.

In 2017, 360° videos received higher engagement than regular videos. This data was gathered from more than 1000 campaigns based on video completions and clicks. The study found that content quality is increasing every year and brands from all verticals are employing  360° videos

Big organizations that have used VR and 360° videos include NASA, Microsoft, IBM, Honda and Ford.  Youtube has a dedicated  360° videos channel with 3 million subscribers.

360° videos are getting even more immersive with the advent of new hardware such as  HEAR360 which introduces an 8ball “omni-binaural” microphone that captures 360 degrees of audio by using 8 omnidirectional microphones leading to a more immersive audio experience.

This has great potential for Virtual Reality training especially where auditory cues are important.

 2. VR Adoption in training

Year 2018 and beyond will see VR and XR technologies finding their way into training from all disciplines. VR can make certain training scenarios possible which are difficult, impractical, costly or dangerous to replicate in real life thereby limiting the practice a learner can undertake. With VR slated to becoming a staple training tool with cost of hardware decreasing and more mobile VR headsets entering the foray Virtual Reality in training is set to be employed by all verticals ranging from healthcare, construction, engineering and architecture.

 3. Cheaper and more available VR hardware

Both Oculus and HTC Vive have have managed to reduce the cost of their hardware by $200. More cheaper and mobile VR hardware can be expected beyond 2018. Apart from that, more powerful and next generation VR headsets like the Vive Pro and make VR experience more immersive with heir increased display resolution and less perceivable pixels. This will make VR more affordable by training institutions for mass adoption.