Forecast Sees Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality to Hit $150B by 2020

LOS ANGELES — A new report released today says that virtual reality and augmented reality markets are poised for a huge slice of the digital pie.

According to Digi-Capital, the virtual reality and augmented reality market could hit $150 billion in revenue by 2020.

The Internet consulting firm said that augmented reality will take the lion’s share in the forecast at about $120 billion and virtual reality at $30 billion.

The forecast said that augmented reality market has more potential because it is less invasive than virtual reality headsets that need to be strapped to users’ faces.

The Digi-Capital report bolsters hope for what many in the adult entertainment industry see as the next-biggest technological leap — the marriage of virtual reality, teledildonics and haptic devices.

At XBIZ 360 earlier this year, Brian Shuster, who founded Utherverse, perhaps best known as the parent of the Red Light Center virtual world, said that the conventional adult entertainment industry needs to take a clear look into the crystal ball.

“This year promises to usher in the beginning of the most significant new technological changes to the adult industry since the introduction of the World Wide Web in the mid-1990s,” Shuster said. “These sweepingly disruptive innovations and products will open the doors for new opportunities, but they will also lay waste to many established business models and companies.”

Digi-Capital said there are pluses and minuses for hardware in perspective of the current virtual and augmented reality titans, like Oculus Rift and perhaps Apple’s future roll out.

“Facebook placed an early bet on Oculus, which might win virtual reality but not address the larger AR market. Google learned from Glass, and had the foresight to invest in Magic Leap,” according to Tim Merel, managing director of Digi-Capital. “HoloLens could allow Microsoft to regain the glory it lost to Apple in the last decade. And Apple? We would love to see an augmented 'One more thing .…'”