AR/VR Innovation Report | August 2019Register for XRDC 2019 1AUGUST 2019 AR/VR Innovation ReportPRESENTED BYxrdconfAR/VR Innovation Report | August 2019Register for XRDC 2019 2AR/VR Innovation ReportAugust 2019Welcome to the fourth annual XRDC AR/VR Innovation Report. This industry-leading report has been compiled based on data gathered from surveying over 900 professionals involved in the development of augmented, virtual, and mixed reality experiences. The data and insights contained within are intended to provide useful perspective on this rapidly expanding and diversifying industry. Notable findings from this years research include the return of the Oculus Rift as devs top platform, a rising tide of client funding, and growing excitement about the potential of the Oculus Quest to bring a wave of people into VR.Survey respondents also recommended some of their favorite AR/VR/MR experiences, including classics like Beat Saber and The Void as well as the recently-released Magic Leap One headset.This data was collected, organized, and presented by Informa Tech, which organizes and runs XRDC as well as the Game Developers Conference (GDC) and Gamasutra. XRDC will take place October 14-15, 2019 at the Fort Mason Festival Pavilion in San Francisco, a beautiful new waterfront venue well-suited to AR/VR demos, discussions, and networking.Creators of immersive experiences of all kindsincluding groundbreaking work in AR but this year it seems that investment from clients has crept up to become the second most popular source of AR/VR/MR funding, with 27 percent of respondents saying theyre funded by a client or clients. 23 percent of respondents said they fund their AR/VR/MR work out of their own personal funds, which is a bit less than the 27 percent who said the same thing last year. Hopefully this means that as the AR/VR/MR markets mature and devs master their craft, more and more clients are stepping up to pay for well-made immersive experiences.AR/VR Innovation Report | August 2019Register for XRDC 2019 10When do you believe your AR/VR/MR project(s) will generate a profit for you or your client(s)? Currently profitable 11% Short term 11% Medium term 27% Long term 23% Never 6%N/A - project not tied to profitability 22%MOST DEVS STILL ARENT SEEING SHORT-TERM RETURNSWe also asked our respondents to tell us when they expect their projects will generate a profit for them or their clients, and as in years past, more are expecting medium- and long-term profitability than short-term returns.This year 27 percent of respondents said they expected medium-term profitability on their AR/VR/MR project(s), while 23 percent expected long-term profitability, and 11 percent expected short-term returns. Only 11 percent said their project(s) were currently profitable, which is lower than the 14 percent who said so last year.In fact, all of these percentages were down year-over-year, in part because the share of respondents who said their AR/VR/MR work isnt tied to profitability shot up, from just 11 percent last year to 22 percent this year. This could be due to more and more hobbyists entering the AR/VR/MR development space, or it may suggest that more businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies are investing in AR/VR/MR development with aims other than turning a profit. This is backed up by the array of talks on offer at XRDC this year which highlight how AR/VR/MR technologies are being applied to fields like healthcare, public safety, and workplace training.