Global consumer virtual reality (VR) market size 2016-2023

The consumer virtual reality market, divided into hardware and software segments, is forecast to reach 2.6 billion U.S. dollars in size in 2020. The market is set to grow further in the following years, rising to beyond five billion U.S. dollars by 2023. Virtual reality Virtual reality (VR) technology makes use of sensory devices to immerse users in a simulated environment. Specially designed headsets and glasses can be used for visual immersion, while handhelds and wearables offer tactile immersion. Optical devices such those developed by Facebook’s Oculus and Sony have shipped millions of units as consumers look to explore the possibilities offered by virtual environments. The element of complete immersion means that VR devices can be used as tools for education, tourism, entertainment, and even professional tasks such as architecture design. Augmented reality Augmented reality (AR) is a technology closely related to VR that uses devices to change the visual environment of users. Rather than completely immerse the user in a simulated environment like VR, AR superimposes computer generated elements on top of the user’s real-world environment, allowing for applications such as head-up displays and first-person GPS navigation. As part of the wider extended reality (XR) industry, the global AR market size is expected to grow considerably in the coming years.

消费者虚拟现实市场，根据硬件与软件两大板块划分，预计在2020年将达到260亿美元的规模。该市场在未来几年将持续增长，预计到2023年将超过500亿美元。虚拟现实（Virtual Reality，VR）技术通过利用感官设备将用户沉浸在模拟环境中。特别设计的头盔和眼镜可用于视觉沉浸，手持设备和可穿戴设备则提供触觉沉浸。如Facebook的Oculus和Sony开发的光学设备已售出数百万台，消费者正探索虚拟环境所提供的可能性。完全沉浸的要素意味着VR设备可被用作教育、旅游、娱乐乃至建筑设计等专业任务的工具。增强现实（Augmented Reality，AR）是一种与VR紧密相关的技术，它使用设备改变用户的视觉环境。与VR完全沉浸用户于模拟环境不同，AR在用户的真实世界环境中叠加计算机生成的元素，从而允许应用如抬头显示和第一人称GPS导航。作为更广泛的扩展现实（Extended Reality，XR）产业的一部分，全球AR市场规模预计在未来几年将显著增长。