Extended Reality (XR): The Rising Star of Virtual World

The technology world is evolving way faster than humans are doing. It was only a few years ago when AR game developers first showcased the potential of AR with Pokémon GO to change the way we perceive reality, making the experience highly immersive and way more meaningful. And then, just a little later followed up new reality technologies: Mixed Reality (MR) and Virtual Reality (VR). I am sure you have heard of them as many tech giants (like Google, HTC, Mircosoft and others) got into the race of being the frontrunners in the game of changing realities. HTC Vive, Google Glass, Microsoft HoloLens, Samsung Gear VR, Oculus Rift, ODG R-8, Epson Moverio are some of the AR/MR/VR devices that have already set the tone for changing our perception of reality.

Now, no matter however good a new technology seems today, it’s only bound to evolve for better as we all have learnt from history and especially in the past two-three decades. And, Extended Reality (XR) is yet another example that strongly vouches for that, with many tech-evangelists of today putting high stakes on creating a world that I would say imaginary for many people now. How about visiting Mars during lunch break or attending a business meeting in Spain or shopping in a retail store from the comfort of your home? The possibilities of XR are huge across every market.

What is Extended Reality?

Extended Reality is an umbrella term that comprises AR, VR, MR and all future realities that the technology can bring to affect machine-humans interactions. The rise in sales of AR/VR devices signals a bright future of XR that is not at the horizon. According to Visual Capitalist, the global XR reality market value is expected to surge eightfold in the next four years, i.e. a $209 billion market by 2023, up 800% from  $27 Billion in 2018. Businesses across almost every market are now prepping up to use XR to completely transform the way they interact with the media and facilitate a completely immersive experience for users by allowing seamless interaction between the real and virtual worlds. That the XR applications are very wide in scope, I am discussing the 5 real-world applications of XR already existing or in the making.

5 Real-World Extended Reality Applications for Businesses

1. Entertainment

The video games industry has been the early and foremost user of XR, with its share in XR market accounting for 34%. By using various tools and frameworks to build XR games, many game developers are creating interactive 3D media experiences for players to make them feel as if they are playing in a real environment. How about basking in Star Wars surrounding where Darth Vader is himself present? Vader Immortal is a VR game that brings an immersive experience of how it actually feels to be in the Star Wars world. You can play this VR game using Oculus Quest headset. India has quickly become a top destination of virtual reality game developers for creating highly immersive video games that meet the expectations of today's modern gamers.

However, it’s not only gaming that is leveraging XR to provide a full-fledged immersive experience, but movies, music, sports events too. You can think of visiting a museum or watching a soccer match in a stadium from the comfort of your home but feeling completely immersed in the event. For instance, Liam Payne, an English singer and songwriter, joined hands with MelodyVR in 2018 for a live concert broadcast.

XR can also help build multi-purpose studios that will save both time and cost of building an elaborate movie set. Movie actors can rehearse in an immersive virtual environment to get the real feel of the scene and improve their performance. As I said earlier, the possibilities are huge.  

2. Education and Training

XR holds great potential to change the way how we get education and training. XR will help military personnel, medical students, surgeons, firefighters, pilots and more to get trained and educated in low-risk, virtual environments to master the skills quickly and without spending a hefty amount of money. So, instead of turning pages of a manual, employees can easily focus on the task in a simulated environment built using XR. Remote learning is another strong aspect of XR that will solve the long-lived problem of distance barriers. 

3. Retail

For the retail sector, features like in-store navigation, try-before-you-buy, personalized offers, etc., will only become common in the future. XR is the way forward for the retail sector to improve customer management, offer personalized experiences, execute engaging marketing strategies and train employees. Buyers will be able to try a watch, shoes or jeans from the comfort of their home in the near future. In fact, ASOS, a general merchandise and apparel retailer in the UK, is already using AR to help customers try clothing on different body types so that they can feel confident about fit and reduce the number of returns.  

4. Real Estate

Real Estate businesses will use XR to allow buyers to view and experience properties without having to be physically present. Interior designers and architects will also be able to experiment with their designs and avoid mistakes. The convenience of viewing an entire house while sitting in a different city or even in a different country and also see how your furniture fits into it will be the next big thing as far as future services of the real estate sector are concerned. 

5. Healthcare

Healthcare is definitely one area that XR would greatly impact. Medical students will be able to practice surgery on virtual patients and visualize the complexities of the organs in 3D. Surgeons will also be able to use robotic arms to perform a surgery resulting in accurate, smaller incisions, reduced blood loss and faster recovery. XR will also be used to treat psychological diseases by fooling the brain into a virtual experience that makes feel good or subside the harrowing memories that may lead to PTSD. There are endless solutions that can be developed for the healthcare sector using XR.

From the perspective of end-user, XR market has other categories as well, such as manufacturing and industrial, transportation, etc. There are many real-world problems that can be solved using the power of extended reality. 

Logic Simplified, a game app developer based in Dehradun, India, can help you turn your XR video game idea or virtual training idea into a reality. We have a talented team of AR game developers and VR game developers to take your XR game idea forward so that you only focus on the core activity of your business which is growing it, we take care of the rest. We are not just technology experts but are equipped with BAs and SMEs as well who clearly layout business requirements and offer solutions that fit the most. For any query related to extended reality development, feel free to contact us at enquiry@logicsimplified.com and we promise to get back to you shortly to get you started on your dream project.