Enterprises prepare for tidal wave of new Augmented and Virtual Reality applications

As new augmented and virtual reality (AR and VR) devices flood the market, ABI Research predicts enterprises will need to prepare for a tidal wave of new enterprise applications as the industry shifts its focus to the corporate and gaming verticals. AR usage in enterprise is on the rise, with smart glasses for gaming forecast to grow by 82% through 2021; VR will see similar crossover into enterprise, with an 88% CAGR through the same period.

“The promising use cases for AR in enterprise remain the primary drivers for the technology; though, it is worth noting that the consumer AR market opportunity is growing in presence,” says Eric Abbruzzese, Senior Analyst for ABI Research. “Simplistic AR mobile gaming is setting the stage for more advanced AR gaming experiences. Similarly, the primarily gaming-centric VR market is seeing uptake in corporate and enterprise usage in applications such as simulation, training, and visualized content creation.”

A combination of new hardware announcements and expanded content selection in both AR and VR are driving this shift in use case focus. Osterhout Design Group (ODG) showed off their new Project Horizon smart glasses display that offers a wide field of view; together with a partnership with OTOY, a consumer content push is coming from one of the leaders in enterprise smart glasses. In VR, HTC’s Vive for Business push opens up a compelling entry into VR for corporate and enterprise usage.

“These new combinations of hardware and software leads to a much more fluid relationship between AR and VR,” concludes Sam Rosen, Managing Director and Vice President at ABI Research. “The individual importance of AR for enterprise, and VR for consumers, cannot be understated, but with the potential for disruption on display, the limitations for these markets are far less constrictive than once thought.”

These findings are from ABI Research’s Augmented and Virtual Reality News, Updates, and Future Devices. This report is part of the company’s Enterprise IT & OT Convergence sector, which includes research, data, and analyst insights.