Virtual reality retreats while augmented reality rises

Virtual reality is suffering through a trough, the same way 3D glasses did. 3D glasses never made it out of that trough, but I think VR will. The problem with the first generation of headsets that debuted in 2016 was that they were expensive, they didn’t have great content, and they didn’t live up to their considerable hype. Intel continued to push VR heavily at its keynote event this year, highlighting Linden Lab’s Sansar VR experiences. But Facebook’s Oculus VR didn’t even show up with a booth, while HTC was holed up at an offsite hotel.

Gaming and virtual reality had 46 exhibitors, down 36 percent from 72 last year. These were laid out across 37,500 square feet, up 26 percent. Augmented reality had 24 exhibitors, up 20 percent, arrayed across 10,900 square feet, up 30.5 percent. AR has a small base, but it doesn’t have as steep a hill to climb as VR right now.

HTC’s Vive Pro has wireless technology and better screen resolution. That’s the right path for VR to move down, but it’s still going to be pretty expensive. I’m not sure when VR is going to take a turn for the better, but it’s probably going to be version 2.0 or 3.0 before consumers get excited about it, the content catches up, and the price comes down. What was the most interesting AR app I saw? Probably the “selfie with a porn star” app that Naughty America showed off.