Visitors experience virtual reality technology at the Mobile World Congress 2023 in Barcelona, Spain, Feburary 28.
（PHOTO: XINHUA)

By Staff Reporters

VR, AR and mixed reality (MR) provide users with a virtual experience, but there are some technical differences: VR is the use of a computer's simulation ability to create a three -dimensional space of a virtual world. AR can be understood as the "real world plus digital information," which includes computer-generated virtual objects, scenes or system cues superimposed on the real scene using technology. MR, on the other hand, refers to the merging of the real and virtual worlds to produce a new visual environment, in which users can coexist with physical and digital objects, conducting real-time interactions.

China is accelerating research and development of cutting -edge technologies including new energy, artificial intelligence and biological manufacturing. In terms of VR, statistics show that from 2019 to 2021, China's VR market size had grown from 28.28 billion RMB to 58.39 billion RMB and is expected to exceed 100 billion RMB in 2023.

Tangible Growth

A showcase for such a growth may refer to the establishments of Meta-verse Industrial Parks across China. Over 15 of them are spread across major cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Nanjing and Wuhan.

In the Weifang Meta-verse Science and Technology Industrial Park, there have been over 100 companies operating in hardware production, software development or content production.

Among them is Goertek, a leading wearable device manufacturer for AR, who is accelerating innovations to render their devices more comfortable to wear and with a clearer display.

"AR glasses are to be worn for a long time, so lightness and compactness are very important requirements," said Li Shuanglong, product manager at Goertek, adding that "most of the materials these glasses used before were plastic and magnesium alloy. Now, we developed and applied new carbon fiber materials and light metal, which can reduce the weight by more than 30 percent. In terms of reducing the size, highly integrated system-level packaging technology is used, which makes the volume smaller while integrating complex functions."

Since entering AR business in 2016, our company has occupied an 80 percent share in the global mid- to high-end VR headset markets, according to Chang Gang, a sales director at Goertek.

Integrated application

Other than devices, there are VR companies that are developing virtual technologies.

Xinke Shidian Digital Technology is developing virtual space for education and cultural tourism. According to Li Qiang, founder of Xinke Shidian, expanded reality is a highly diverse new industry. Hardware capabilities need to be improved as well as improved software and content, including storage, computing, network, etc. Any shortcomings in any one of the chains will affect the overall user experience.

Tongxin Vision, established in 2017, has been mapping out the research and development of quantum dot display materials. "Quantum dot display materials are core components in the industrial chains of AR," said Zhang Peishun, general manager of the company, adding that they are mainly used in QLED display technology, which will solve issues related to unclear picture quality and vertigo of VR and AR display screens.

Support for VR's development also comes from the public. In February 2023, Weifang city of Shandong province issued an action plan to promote the coordinated development of the upstream and downstream of the industry chain from five aspects such as industrial technology research and industrial chain extension, to create a reasonable structure and ecological perfect industrial system.

Statistics shows that by the end of 2022, more than 20 provinces have released construction plans related to virtual reality industry. A guideline unveiled in 2018 by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, additionally, pointed out that China's VR industry will enter the global forefront by 2025, with some key core patents and standards of VR, and a series of backbone enterprises.