This summer, Pokémon Go became the first augmented reality app to catch fire with consumers. At the same time, Samsung, HTC and Google aggressively pushed a sister technology — virtual reality headsets — as part of their new smartphone launches.
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So it’s no wonder virtual reality/augmented reality are poised to be the rabbit everyone chases at the upcoming CES 2017 trade show in Las Vegas — a massive consumer electronics extravaganza that opens Jan. 5.
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Every year there are one or two such technologies — think 3-D printers and drones — where the hype becomes a bit frothy.
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My overall analysis about virtual reality is the use case is still feeling a little forced, said Scott Peterson, senior analyst with San Diego market research firm Gap Intelligence, referring to Samsung’s TV commercials showing a group of people using the Gear headset. For gaming it’s awesome. But it is not very social. When you want to interact with people, that is not what the experience is.
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Forced or not, the virtual reality/augmented reality product category trails only wearables for the largest percentage increase in the number of exhibitors at CES compared with the prior year, said Gary Shapiro, head of the Consumer Technology Association, which puts on the show.
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In terms of the consumer segment it is obviously a nascent market but there is huge interest in it, said Shapiro. The content is increasing dramatically, both in the business and consumer space. That has been the untold story.
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CES probably needs a rabbit or two every year to keep the show fresh. While they leave their mark, they don’t dominate the event.
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There’s a lot more to see.
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CES attracts more than 3,800 exhibitors under 2.5 million square feet of floor space. More than 175,000 product buyers, industry analysts and journalists attend. It is not open to the general…