Recently, Gartner published a survey suggesting that 100 million people will use virtual reality technologies for online shopping in 2020. However, e-commerce is not the only area that will see the great implementation of VR. Medicine, education, tourism, the automotive business and other industries all use augmented and virtual reality and benefit from the capabilities it can provide:
- Augmented reality application allows visualizing architectural and interior design projects;
- Museums offer VR tours to the precious exhibits;
- Travelers use VR apps to choose the best accommodations;
- AR assists nurses and surgeons in the operation rooms and teaches medical students the anatomy;
- It redefines the training experience, and
- Lets each buyer “try on” any item before the purchase.
Despite the growing application of AR/VR technology, it is still in its infancy stage and has plenty of opportunities to develop. The spread of 5G is one of these as real-time data flow and data transmission to a particular location with minimal latency allows VR to demonstrate all of its capabilities.
What 5G Can Do for AR/VR App Development?
Whether it’s medicine, entertainment, science, advertising, staff training, the AR/VR app development has endless opportunities. However, high data demands are a serious stumbling block. Recent research states that the 5G network has necessary characteristics able to guarantee immersive VR experience:
- A million of devices for one km2
- 20 Gbps peak data rate
- 10 Mbps/m2 for area capacity
- 100 Mbps data rates
- 1 MS roundtrip over-the-air latency
5G changes a lot for mobile app developers, giving them great tools for advanced AR/VR app development. In comparison to 4G, this introduces the opportunities for faster and costless wireless connectivity.
Advantages of 5G for VR Technologies
VR history sees a new stage of its development. The future usefulness of VR depends on such network components as latency, capacity, and bandwidth. 5G virtual reality promises to take these components to a necessary level.
1. Capacity
The next generation of videos presents such new formats as high dynamic range, stereoscopic, and 360°, at a higher framerates and increased resolutions. Although the 4G network can deliver basic implementations of these formats, it will soon be overloaded leading to poor-quality experience. 5G can guarantee higher capacity and, hence, better user experience.
2. Latency
If you decide to design interactive content for a VR app, latency is what you should keep in mind: it must be low to ensure responsiveness for particular users’ interactions. For instance, while controlling remote machinery, shooting an opponent in online games, etc. A main requirement of the 5G is extremely low latency, with 1 MS roundtrip latency over the air. Hence, developers will easily achieve high responsiveness during AR/VR games or in applications for other industries.
3. Bandwidth
5G provides bandwidth and speed that is necessary to enjoy a better screen quality offered by VR technology. It will minimize the low data area, which leads to lag and stutter that is undesirable for user experience and comfort.
The Changes Are Almost Here
Network speed has been one of the main challenges that prevented VR technology from revealing all its opportunities. With the introduction of 5G, this obstacle is going to be resolved. It is great news since VR apps enable many organizations to operate smarter and more effectively. VR offers plenty of promising apps that are designed to boost ROI, enhance safety, and incorporate innovation within enterprises. Users will also benefit from receiving new social experiences and immersive content.
Summing-up
Many experts are sure the arrival of the next-gen mobile networks will unlock the entire potential of VR technology. As you already know, virtual reality applications need low latency, high capacity, and bandwidth to bring a top-quality user experience. This is where 5G steps in.
There is no accurate information when the network will be fully available worldwide. Still, it is better not to wait until the mobile operator provides a broader 5G coverage. Instead, the companies that want to stay competitive and not lose potential income should seek opportunities for implementing pilot projects and develop VR solutions that will deliver the advanced user experience.