Tiny Brains

AWE USA 2023 was my first international #XR conference post-COVID. It was of course great to catch-up with many old friends and colleagues from the industry (and apologies to those I didn’t manage to connect with!), and I thought that now would be a good time to share some key takeaways.

During the event we had the Meta Quest 3 announcement and Meta Games Showcase, and in the days since WWDC brought us the long awaited arrival of Apple. There was of course plenty to be discussed at AWE! My takeaways from the event regarding the general feeling of the industry formed something like this:

• Don’t bet against Meta – despite the fact that Apple are about to come in and (hopefully!) change everything with an influx of new users, Meta are still in the strongest position. They have the experience, already have XR users on their ecosystem, and – perhaps most importantly – have the pricing advantage.
• AR is a growth economy – AR is seeing rapid adoption. This is largely thanks to the fact that almost everyone already has an AR compatible device in their pocket. However, there’s more to it than that. The capabilities of AR are rapidly expanding. It’s no longer just an overlay, but and immersive experience in it’s own right. Furthermore, the possibilities of responsive and interactive AR are increasing on a seemingly daily basis (plug going out to Tiny Brains’ client STYLY, here!)
• People are confident in XR once again! – Over the last decade we’ve had many peaks and troughs in XR. Here and now, the general feeling is that we’re on the start of a significant upturn for the industry. There are many new people jumping in, bringing new ideas with them. Many old hats (of which I consider myself one!) are seeing a turn for new innovation, and are seeing new business opportunities for existing products.

So what’s next on the agenda? Are you organising an #XR show for 2023? If you’re looking for exhibitors or speakers please do get in touch. And of course if you’d like to work with Tiny Brains on an upcoming showcase don’t hesitate to reach out!