Immersive tech in 2025 - Now what?

It was difficult writing for the Immersive Wire this year. There were lots of developments and trends across VR and AR, but much of it felt like smaller snippets rather than clear areas of focus. Yes, there were a few things that were genuinely big and interesting. Samsung announced a premium Android XR headset, Project Moohan, which was particularly notable, and there were ongoing rumours that the Apple Vision Pro may have a cheaper version coming out at some point.

But 2025 felt more like a pause year. There was not as much interest or development in the market, and in some cases, there were times that could even be considered steps backwards. This points to a market that is either trying to find its footing again, or lacking legitimate propulsion engines for growth.

A clear sign of this was Meta’s strategy shift, where it paused its third-party headset programme for Horizon OS, alongside a general lack of media sentiment and excitement around immersive technologies. We also saw some consolidation as well; Augmented World Expo (AWE) and Stereopsia joined forces to launch United XR Europe. In a healthier market, I would have expected more immersive-dedicated events, not fewer.

That is not true across the board, though. VR remains relatively strong in entertainment. Experiences such as Sandbox VR continue to perform well, and VR is also proving its value in education and assistive contexts. Rendever and its work in care homes for older people is a good example of this, and those use cases are still moving forward. And this does not mean there will be no future development. There are still expectations that Valve may release a new standalone VR headset, which could be interesting when considered alongside Samsung’s previously announced Android XR device.

Even so, the pace feels meek and noticeably slower. Much of this comes down to the fact that the market lacks the exponential elements needed for rapid growth. When you compare this to AI, the contrast is stark. AI is incredibly accessible. Anyone can use services like Google Gemini or ChatGPT to ask questions, and implementing AI into businesses is relatively achievable, with provable effects. VR, by contrast, often requires purchasing expensive hardware, which is not always supported by a compelling or practical business case. It’s still not cheap enough.

Still, perhaps 2025 will be seen as a year of preparation? In January 2025, Google paid $250mn to HTC for “key personnel and intellectual property.” It’s a long-term investment that may not pay off until this year.

From a writer’s perspective, as someone who covers these technologies, it has been difficult to stay focused on the sector. There were stories to report, and I did report on them throughout the year, but there were also long pauses, sometimes for personal reasons and sometimes because there genuinely was less news. This was especially true in the final three weeks of the year, where coverage slowed noticeably.

My hope is that 2026 will be stronger, buoyed by new hardware announcements and a more confident content strategy from creators. But overall, 2025 felt like a weaker year, one that is probably best dusted off and tucked away into the back corner of a cupboard.

Note: The Immersive Wire is run by Tom Ffiske, who also works at Accenture. The contents of the newsletter should not be regarded as Accenture’s views.

All spelling mistakes are deliberate, actually.