Most experts agree that VR technology will continue its growth well into this decade, with the only disagreement being exactly how much it will grow. Some predict that the VR market will reach $87.97 billion by 2025, while others are more conservative, expecting the value to be at no more than $22.5 billion. Regardless of the actual numbers, the future of VR is very promising with everybody, from developers to end-users, expressing great optimism about the VR future. Since VR technology is becoming more and more mainstream, we decided to look into the future of virtual reality technology to see how people will interact, the role it is expected to play, and, in general, answer the question: what is the future of virtual reality?

When we think about virtual reality, the first that usually comes to mind is the headset, but you can expect the handheld controllers to play a key role over the next five years. Some of the most popular VR brands like the HTC Vive and Oculus already offer controllers because they offer users tactile feedback. This will be very important for the various applications of VR, such as job training. For example, suppose pilots are training to fly the plane. In that case, they need to physically feel like they are in the cockpit, but also the VR system needs to accurately detect hand motions to make sure they are pressing the right buttons accurately going about the training. Therefore, as important as headsets are to the virtual reality future, you can be sure that controllers will also be critical.

For VR to become fully mainstream, the headsets need to become lighter and more comfortable to put on. In fact, putting on a headset should be as easy as putting on a pair of glasses. This is one of the biggest VR trends we expect to see over the next couple of years. Not only do the headsets need to become lighter, but the users also need to be able to switch from opaque VR to completely transparent reality. While the most popular headsets today weigh somewhere between 550 grams to 700 grams, all of this weight can put a lot of pressure on the user’s face and hair if they wear the device for an extended period of time. Some of the leading market players are working on resolving this problem so users can better enjoy virtual reality in the future.

While there are cheap VR headsets like the Google Cardboard, they offer a low level of interactivity and are most suited for watching 360-degree video. They are also not very comfortable, so you won’t be able to use them for a long time. Like the Oculus Quest 2, a quality standalone VR headset will cost around $300, which is still $100 cheaper than the previous version of the Quest. However, this is also another problem in terms of affordability and pricing because people want to buy a headset without worrying that the hardware will become obsolete in a couple of months. For example, when you buy a TV for between $100 and $10,000, there’s a comfortable middle ground where people can purchase a mid-range TV that will fulfill all of their requirements. They are not worried that next year a significantly cheaper TV model with more features will come out.

Therefore the future of virtual reality technology really depends on making these products more affordable, and over the next years, therefore you can expect the prices of the headsets to start coming down.

Before 5G speeds came along, VR struggled to overcome issues with latency and a massive amount of graphical rendering processes. This also slowed down all of the head and movement tracking. Since all of the renderings are done in the cloud, there has to be a fast and reliable connection, and that’s exactly what 5G speeds are delivered to VR enthusiasts. Therefore over the next couple of years, expect to see new components, better graphics, and all on-device processing workloads and unlocks boundless VR experiences.

If somebody picks up your iPhone without your permission, they would be blocked from accessing it by FaceID. Pretty much all mobile devices have some security or user authorization measures. This brings up the question of VR headsets. If somebody were to steal your headset, would they be able to simply put it on and use it? This is why a lot of companies are working on improving the security of the devices. You can expect that there will be cool user identifications like retina ID or facial recognition in the next couple of years.

Given all of the ways we use VR today, a lot of people were wondering what will virtual reality be like in the future? As we have seen from the virtual reality predictions for the next couple of years and beyond, VR will play a much bigger role in our everyday lives, and it will be more accessible. However, if you would like to take advantage of all the benefits it offers for businesses, you will need to work with a trusted partner who has VR development experience.

Skywell Software is a virtual reality development company with extensive experience in creating VR solutions for businesses in a wide variety of industries. Thanks to our expertise, we will be able to make even the most creative and imaginative product. Contacts us today to learn more about how we can help you and browse through our case studies to learn about some of the solutions we created for our clients.

Virtual Reality Future — Predictions, Trends, and Upcoming Developments was originally published in AR/VR Journey: Augmented & Virtual Reality Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.