CES 2016 News: Virtual Reality’s ‘Coming Out Party’, As Tech Firms Ride On The VR Bandwagon
Around 150,000 people from 150 countries are expected to participate in this year's Consumer's Electronics Expo (CES) 2016 which kicks off in Las Vegas on Wednesday.
CES, which is considered to be one of the largest and most popular tech events in the world, will be attended by 3,600 exhibitors who will be showing off their latest technologies and gadgets, reported CBC.
This year's expo will feature, among others, virtual reality, ultra-high-definition television, wearable gizmos and the internet of things.
However, virtual reality is expected to take center stage at CES 2016, with San Francisco-based Oculus Rift taking the lead in the category.
The tech firm, which committed to release its highly-anticipated headset within the first quarter of this year, was purchased by Facebook for $2 billion in 2014.
Samsung, HTC and a host of other players are anticipated to go head-to-head with Oculus Rift, as these companies compete to capture the market that may be worth $150 billion by 2020.
CES 2016 is also expected to showcase "an entire ecosystem of content and related hardware" that will complement the emerging technology.
Content creators, ranging from Hollywood movie studios to video game developers, are also taking part in the expo to announce upcoming projects.
Moreover, accessory manufacturers will likewise get the chance to show off their joysticks and controller devices to media and potential investors during the event.
"These are all important pieces of the puzzles," said Shawn Dubravac, chief economist at the Consumer Technology Association, the organizer of CES 2016.
Based on the research findings of management consulting firm Accenture, it is estimated that there will be 80% more virtual reality exhibitors who will be attending CES 2016 as compared to the previous year, according to Time.
"While virtual reality has been discussed at prior CES 2016, this is the first year where we will have a number of widespread, commercially available, consumer choices in virtuality," said John Curran, Accenture managing director.
Big names in the tech industry such as Facebook-owned Oculus, Samsung's Gear VR and Sony are ramping up their efforts to catch the VR bandwagon and capture the imagination of future clients.
Aside from virtual reality, augmented reality will also share the spotlight at the expo for the first time.
"This is augmented reality's coming out party," said Curran. "I think you'll see a number of discussions about which technology will take off first and which will have a larger potential."
CES 2016, based on the news, is shaping up to be the virtual reality industry's coming-out party.
