The VR Market Matures – 2018 SXSW Programming Trends

Each year, different trends emerge from SXSW programming and act as identifiers for where we’re at and where we’re headed. From the 12 significant trends identified by the SXSW Programming Team for the 2018 event, The VR Market Matures explores a promising future for multiple industries through the growing presence of VR, AR, and MR. Get to know this trend and related-SXSW sessions below that we think will dominate discussions this March.

The VR Market Matures Trend

Virtual Reality first shook the tech industry with its ability to transport us to new worlds. But now, companies are looking beyond the spectacle of virtual spaces to improve the user’s sense of presence and interactivity. In turn, VR’s immersive nature has become the focal point of mainstream tech in the arts, medicine, business, and entertainment. Our 2018 speakers will be joining us to discuss how VR, AR, and MR will affect their respective trades, from revolutionizing news media consumption and the treatment of hospital patients to altering the experience of storytelling.

Hear from Jacqueline Bosnjak of Q Department & Mach1, Justin Denton of Here Be Dragons, and Tim Dillon of MPC Advertising, as they discuss the transition from virtual environments to overlays in The Next Phase of VR: Moving to MR. Discover how AR/MR technology can redefine our relationship with relevant news in the session Reality But Better: Augmenting the World with News, led by Google’s Erica Anderson, Jeremy Gilbert of The Washington Post, and more.

VR’s role in the medical field will be explored by Walter Greenleaf of Stanford University, Framestore’s Guillaume Raffi, and Mia Tramz of Time + LIFE VR in the session Designing VR Rx. Establishing a deeper connection between artist and audience through immersive storytelling will be explored in the session Setting the Visual Language of VR Storytelling, and and the next level of experiential fun is altering how we do entertainment in Full Body Immersive: The Future of Fun.

We’re a month away from SXSW 2018, but there’s still time to add these sessions to your 2018 SXSW Schedule. Stay tuned for more programming announcements through March and browse the session highlights below to learn more about how VR, AR, and MR technology is becoming a mainstream tool for the world’s major industries.

The VR Market Matures Session Highlights

• The Next Phase of VR: Moving to MR
• Full Body Immersive: The Future of Fun
• Reality But Better: Augmenting the World with News
• Designing VR Rx
• Setting the Visual Language of VR Storytelling

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2017 SXSW VR Experience – Teaser Photo by Merrick Ales