The country appears to be going all-in on immersive technology.
According to Reuters, China plans on shipping over 25 million VR headsets by 2026 as part of a five-year plan to strengthen the country’s digital economy. The ambitious action plan was published by five Chinese government ministries led by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and includes augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality technologies.
The research firm International Data Corporation (IDC) reports that China shipped roughly half-a-million VR headsets in the first half of 2022. This new plan aims to increase the value of the country’s VR industry to over 350 billion yuan ($48 billion) by the year 2026.
That number includes both hardware and software sales. The government also intends on extending support to 100 core companies as well as establishing 10 public service platforms as part of the expansion.
Reuters cites a report by The China Academy of Information and Communications which states that China’s VR action plan could be the result of the United States and South Korea’s continued investment in their respective immersive technology industries.
For more information check out the full action plan here.
Feature Image Credit: HTC Vive, Alvin Wang
