VR/AR: THE QUICKENING PACE OF THE IMMERSIVE NOW By CHRIS McGOWAN
TOP: Stockholm-based Resolution Games developed the colorful dueling shooter VR game Blaston. (Image courtesy of Resolution Games)
Virtual reality and augmented reality are more tangible now. VR in particular has enjoyed a steady ascent recently, with help from the Oculus Quest headsets and the strong earnings of many VR titles, especially in the gaming realm. This year, VR looks to get a boost from the release of the Sony PlayStation VR2 headset as well as expected introductions of new VR and AR gear from Apple and other tech firms. In addition to games, education, travel, health, enterprise and social interaction apps should all drive VR and AR in the near future. Plus, the pervasive talk of a “metaverse” is attracting interest and investment, and VR and AR look to be the chief modes of access. Fortune Business Insights projects that the global virtual reality market will grow from around $6.4 billion in 2021 to over $80 billion by 2028. “VR and AR are rapidly gaining traction,” says Christine Cattano, Framestore Head of Immersive, U.S. “I can’t think of an industry that isn’t starting to explore how VR/ AR hardware or software offers transformative new workflows and/or ways to connect with their audiences/customers. At Framestore, our work in this space is largely driven by technology and entertainment clients, but also brands looking to explore these platforms as well.” “Each generation of headsets has enabled a huge leap forward for our industry,” says Larry Cutler, co-founder and CTO of Baobab Studios, which has released VR titles like Baba Yaga and Namoo. “For example, the release in 2019 of standalone VR headsets such as the Oculus Quest empowered users to be completely mobile and untethered to a high-end gaming PC and sensors. Our 2019 VR
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