Key Takeaways:
- The Chinese government has introduced a strategy to incorporate virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) into the everyday routines of Chinese citizens.
- The strategy calls for technological research on a variety of topics, including the development of an accessible metaverse console for users and odour computation technology.
Virtual reality initiatives are being carried out in China. According to an implementation plan on the growth of the Metaverse industry published on Tuesday, the first step is to ship more than 25 million virtual reality devices by 2026.
All regions, autonomous regions, municipalities explicitly under the Central Government, and cities are subject to separate state organising, as well as their respective departments of business and information technology, education, culture and tourism, radio and television, and sports.
A plan outlining the national growth of virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and metaverse technologies over the course of the following four years was presented by the Chinese government.
According to a strategy jointly released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and 4 main departments, the size of China’s virtual reality and augmented reality sector, including hardware, software, and applications, will surpass 350 billion yuan ($48.1 billion) by 2026.
The document requests research into simulation technology that includes brand-new fields with little prior development. This study uses 3D reconstruction technology, strong environmental comprehension, interactive audio field, gesture monitoring, eye tracking, emotion tracking, and full-body motion capture. To add a figurative new sense to what these devices can presently offer, it even includes odour simulation.
In order to push the advancement of sensory interaction in the direction of naturalisation, situationalization, and intelligence, Beijing is also contemplating the creation of a brain-computer interface.
Nine major cities across China have already decided to accept digital Yuan for subway travel, signaling the start of China’s digital development plan. On ten different transit routes in Ningbo, bus commuters now have the option to pay with CBDC digital currency. Many other cities are beginning to incorporate digital currencies into everyday life, with Guangzhou accepting digital Yuan for tram rides.
Additionally, smartphones will be updated to function as VR displays, which may spell the end for Google’s Cardboard VR viewer.
China is also interested in an open VR platform that supports simulation and group collaboration. Instead of the Zuckerber’s perception of VR apps developed on a Meta-platform, that sounds a lot more like a real metaverse.
The plan also calls for the construction of 10 virtual reality parks across the nation so that people can interact directly with the aforementioned technology and investigate the various opportunities that the headsets may present to Chinese citizens.
According to analyst firm IDC, China purchased about half a million of the 11.2 million VR headgear units sold globally in 2021. According to the analyst, shipments will be just shy of 50 million in 2026.
In order to establish the nation as a digital economy hub, the government is initially concentrating on implementing metaverse plans in the education and tourism sectors. A significant component of digital development will be the introduction of Metaverse theme parks and lifestyle centers in China’s virtual reality.
