Here we are, living in 2021 now, a year that many seem to perceive as a rebound from the last, rough and tragic year. Maybe it’s because even though the world pandemic is still present, people realized new technologies are here to help us. Without them, we won’t be talking about a legitimate, effective vaccine that is being used all around the world right now.
As VR & AR developers, we too are pretty much focused on what is going on in the new technologies sector, especially when it comes to innovative ideas for immersive education, industry 4.0, as well as entertainment, such as VR games and simulators. We are currently working on every one of those fields, creating original, intriguing projects. No wonder that every new tech-based solution makes us curious about the potential software we can create with it or for it.
What’s to come, then? Let’s look closely into the most promising trends that can pop in 2021.
Standalone
Oculus, Microsoft, Pico, Vive, Lenovo, and many more tech companies now offer portable and easy-to-use standalone VR/AR headsets, which is still not a standard. Many important manufacturers are still interested in PC-based solutions. But 2021 will definitely change consumers’ ways, especially after last year’s Oculus 2 premiere, which has made VR technology much more accessible and popular, also in terms of comfort.
The quality of using standalone headsets isn’t just a feature for gamers and VR workout fans. It’s an important step towards introducing immersive media to business owners, who now can see how handy can augmented or virtual reality come for their employees. It allows them to train themselves in a safe and close-to-natural environment, but most importantly – do more in less time and do it more correctly.
5G
Why people love 5G? That’s a fair question because it’s actually not easy to accept this solution as a natural next step for technology. It is able to transmit more information – of course, but at the same time – its range is smaller, meaning we need more routers to keep it stable enough in bigger areas.
That said, we cannot deny the hype, as we work with virtual reality gear, which – especially if it’s standalone – just needs a real fast internet connection for online communication or multiplayer apps. This year, we hope to see 5G happen more commercially, just to enjoy the whole portable VR experience.
Remote work
As you could have already noticed, one of the most popular terms of 2020 was HOME OFFICE. The great exodus of corporations’ employees has changed the way companies think about the work environment and communication. There are many examples of jobs that require people to be in touch more than just by writing emails or using video cameras. It’s all about real cooperation.
Immersive technology enables us to truly collaborate and it’s proven by many new applications (both VR and MR) that together we are able to create and communicate better if we can act in the same virtual space, use physical signs, and responsive avatars. That makes us more open, creative, and accurate in terms of expressing our ideas.
Immersive education
Last but not least – education. Ask any parent if the home-based lessons during COVID-19 have worked so far. Some say they are just very hard to coordinate. Some claim they’re not working at all while remembering that the traditional classroom schooling wasn’t perfect in the first place. Sure, we all hope for better days to come and for education to return to the schools, but even then, there are things we can make better using VR and AR technology.
By allowing students to explore new topics and problems in the virtual space, teachers can enable them to make their own decisions and make valuable mistakes but, most importantly – to interact even with abstract ideas or hard to get items.
Audio-visual entourage makes real memory-based and logical connections, which is proved by several studies (like this one) reflecting on VR in education.
That’s it – a couple of buzzwords that could be the focal point of 2021. Surely, we should be prepared for some surprises too. We are already curious to find out what 2021 has prepared for us. In the meantime, we are working on some interesting VR projects.