The future is virtual - why AR and VR will live in the cloud

Augmented (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies have passed the zenith of the hype cycle and are slowly coming back down to earth. Yet this doesn’t mean that they have failed to catch on. While we’re still some way off the immersive virtual worlds of fantasy stories like Ready Player One, mixed and virtual reality is going mainstream. You don’t need an expensive headset or room-scale tech to experience VR and AR, collectively known as cross reality (XR). Consumers are also accessing immersive reality experiences through their web browsers. The technology has become an important part of many sectors, particularly for training purposes in industry and construction. There’s clear demand for these immersive experiences; 50 per cent of companies not currently using the technology will start experimenting with it in the next 2-3 years, and 82 per cent of adopters say the benefits are meeting or exceeding expectations.