The Popularity of AR and VR in Asia-Pacific

Improvements in technology have substantially affected the momentum of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) in areas around the world, including in the Asia-Pacific region.A few years ago, the mainstream public hadn’t heard of AR yet, even though it had been around since the early 90s. The technology gained momentum in a big way thanks to the Pokémon Go phenomenon. Now, marketers frequently use it to supplement their traditional marketing efforts, especially to make them more interactive and relevant to audiences.VR has been on the worldwide scene for a bit longer but struggled to take off until recently, due in part to the high costs of equipment. Manufacturers saw a need in the marketplace and created low-cost VR headsets, including ones people can use with their smartphones.These instances of progress have helped spur both technologies around the world and in the Asia-Pacific region.China is undoubtedly at the forefront of progress with these emerging technologies. That’s in part because of a push to become the global leader. Although the U.S. beat China in VR/AR revenue last year, forecasts indicate China may surpass the U.S. soon. Research from Digi-Capital shows that by 2022, China could take more than $1 of every $5 put toward these technologies.