The Immersive Wire - 1 December 2021 (News edition)

By Tom FfiskeVR/AR and metaverse analysis every Wednesday and Sunday

// 1 December 2021

Enjoying Shin Megami Tensei V on the Nintendo Switch, though it's as difficult as drawing water out of sand.

Invest to own a part of the future of exercise in the Metaverse

MAIN STORYAnalysing the analysts

CCS Insights had their major report, with

some interesting findings.

• Hardware: 71 million virtual and augmented reality devices will be sold in 2025, with a market value of $22 billion;

• Sales: Worldwide unit sales of headsets are expected to reach 11 million in 2021, up almost 50% from 2020. In 2025, businesses around the world will buy over 13 million extended reality devices;

• Growth: Enterprises are expected to account for 18% of VR and AR unit sales in 2021.

Now, to the analysis...

• Again, it is good to treat all of these statistics with a pinch of salt. Analyst numbers tend to get warped as they consider the vague numbers of how many headsets are being sold, and it can create headline numbers which blind rather than inform.

• Definitions matter too; VR and AR headsets could have wide definitions, and under the wide umbrellas can be larger numbers.

• But overall, the insights can form a barometer when it comes to the direction of the industry and the optimism for its growth. The impression I have in this case is we will see modest growth over the next few years. It is in line with industry expectations, unless we see a big spike in activity from a company right around the bend.

 NFTs could be covered more in this newsletter... if you want me to?

• We've seen a fair few stories on NFTs over the last few months, and how they tie to the metaverse. Fold AR was one example, where they say they contribute to the conversation (though I felt it pushed the boundaries of nonsense).

• The newsletter is principally for immersive technologies, and the metaverse had a natural fit in my writing. But every once in a while, an NFT story creeps up and surprises me, and it may be worth a mention.

• So, I will leave it to the audience; do you want to see more NFTs? Check here if yes; it links to a random image, but it lets me know the appetite for NFT content in the long-run. Plus it means you only need to click on it, rather than fill a form.

• And if you happen to have any opinions on NFTs, reply to this email and let me know; I am always up for a chit chat.

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OTHER STORIESA shorter bout of news this week

Want to see your news appear here? Let me know by responding to this newsletter, or send me an email at tom (at) immersivewire (dot) com.

• Arvizio announced Arvizio Instructor, a solution leveraging AR to guide workers through complex task-oriented workflows.

• Bodyswaps is partnering with SAGE Publishing to launch a resource for health and social care training.

• David Attenborough’s Kingdom of Plants is coming to Oculus TV.

• Manus launched their motion capture software for free.

• Meta Quest owners can now record footage from their phones, but only on iPhones.

  • Yes, I find it weird to type Meta Quest instead of Oculus Quest from now as well.

• Poplar Studio partnered with Moonpig to create their first AR experience featuring a mini-game, to run in parallel to their Christmas TV ads.

  • UK readers, I heard the ad jungle in my head when I read this. It was almost immediate.

• PrecisionOS received a 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market InVisionOS.

• Raindance Immersive announced the Jury Awards and the Spirit of Raindance Award.

• Smash Drums is coming to the Oculus Quest store.

• The Glimpse Group announced that its subsidiary company, Immersive Health Group, has entered into a 5-year software and services contract with Boston Medical Center.

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That's all for this week! Want to have a chat, let me know about a news story, or talk business? Either reply to this email, or contact tom (at) immersivewire (dot) com. Have an excellent day!