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Funding and advertised pay are reported in USD; filed accounts retain their stated source currency and basis.

Exchange-rate basis

Indicative conversions use ECB reference rates dated 2026-09-14, applied consistently across all periods. They are not historical exchange rates. Indian rupees may use crore (1 crore = 10 million); other currencies use K, M and B. CSV downloads, source documents and quoted news headlines retain their original currencies.

THE THE UNITED STATES EDITION 2026

the United States’s
ar, vr and spatial computing industry,
in focus.

The companies, capital and talent shaping ar, vr and spatial computing in the United States. Find the leaders. Understand the segments. See where the activity is.

Explore in Radar Read the key signals
Snapshot: Funding in USD
Illustrated cover for AR, VR and Spatial Computing Industry Landscape of the United States
US
COMPANIES · CAPITAL · TALENT

An industry ecosystem,
measured in context.

AR, VR and Spatial Computing illustration
Companies tracked 3,358AR, VR and Spatial Computing ecosystem in the United States Disclosed funding $39.69B894 companies · all recorded rounds Companies hiring 162With open roles at the snapshot Tracked open roles 4163 employers posted in the preceding 30 days
MEET THE COMPANIES

Explore the United States’s ar, vr and spatial computing leaders

24 featured companies from the funding, hiring, revenue and team-size leaderboards.

Expand panel +
Explore the full landscape
AR, VR and Spatial Computing company highlights in the United States, snapshot 30 August 2026
Company
Epic Gamesepicgames.com$8.13B—771—
Magic Leapmagicleap.com$4.07B—824—
Unityunity.com$3.08B—7,703Financial figure available in RadarView in Radar
World Labsworldlabs.ai$1.23B———
Luma AIlumalabs.ai$1.07B—10—
Robloxroblox.com$918.2M—947$4.89BFYFY2025 filing
Forteforte.io$910M—3—
Nianticnianticlabs.com$772.84M—733—
Bentley Systemsbentley.com—12 roles28$1.5BFYFY2025 filing
Cognexcognex.com—12 roles2,992$994.36MFYFY2025 filing
Esriesri.com—11 roles646—
Reworldreworld.io—11 roles200—
AV Conceptsavconcepts.com—10 roles42—
Epson Americaepson.com—10 roles282—
Zendarzendar.io—10 roles27—
Ousterouster.com—9 roles217$169.38MFYFY2025 filing
Cadencecadence.com——3,177$5.3BFYFY2025 filing
Fabulatwitter.com——7,500Financial figure available in RadarView in Radar
Google Glassgoogle.com——44,409$350.02BFYFY2024 filing
Immersionimmersion.com——20$1.56BFYFY2025 filing
KEYENCEkeyence.com——10,580—
Metameta.com——67,317Financial figure available in RadarView in Radar
Microsoft HoloLensmicrosoft.com——228,000—
Nintendo 3DSnintendo.com——5,848—
24 featured companies

Locked revenue figures are available in Radar; the eight company financial previews stay the same throughout this page. A dash means the figure is outside these featured lists. Revenue years vary by company; the figures are not a like-for-like revenue comparison. Compare annual accounts ↗

Company discovery

Recorded evidence only
THE KEY SIGNALS

AR, VR and Spatial Computing industry KPIs in the United States

A few useful ratios bring the size of this ecosystem into perspective.

30 August 2026
Hiring participation4.8%

162 of 3,358 tracked companies have open roles.

Funding participation30.3%

1,016 of 3,358 tracked companies have a recorded round.

Top 3 funding share38.5%

Share of disclosed capital received by the three largest recorded recipients.

Median disclosed round$2.5M

Midpoint of 1,627 rounds with a disclosed amount.

Scale is concentrated. Opportunity is broader. The three largest funding recipients hold 38.5% of disclosed capital, while 69.7% of tracked companies have no recorded funding round.

Explore the segments →
CAPITAL & COMPANY FORMATION

How the United States ar, vr and spatial computing has grown

Recorded company formation and disclosed funding across the complete annual series shown.

Expand panel +
2016 — 2025

Disclosed funding by year

Sum of recorded funding rounds · USD

the United States ar, vr and spatial computing
$0$2.13B$4.26B$6.4B$8.53B2016: $2.21B20162017: $2.13B20172018: $3.26B20182019: $2.06B20192020: $3.88B20202021: $7.48B20212022: $4.71B20222023: $995.02M20232024: $3.75B20242025: $2.84B2025
View the numbers
Annual ar, vr and spatial computing funding and company formation in the United States
YearFunding (USD)FoundedRaising
2016$2.21B289128
2017$2.13B259150
2018$3.26B265161
2019$2.06B236154
2020$3.88B249153
2021$7.48B215200
2022$4.71B162162
2023$995.02M115108
2024$3.75B6892
2025$2.84B4089
WHERE CAPITAL SITS

Funding concentration

Share of all disclosed company funding.

  • Epic Games20.5%
  • Magic Leap10.2%
  • Unity7.8%
  • Other companies61.5%

Funding by stage

1,982 recorded rounds since 2016

NUMBER OF ROUNDS
Seed & Angel841 42.4%
Series A–B621 31.3%
Series C+ / PE148 7.5%
Grants, debt & other372 18.8%

Recent recorded rounds

Latest recorded rounds · USD
8 rounds

Swipe or scroll horizontally to browse.

Seed05/2026
Altara $7M

Backed by Greylock Partners and Neo and others.

Series A05/2026
Status —

Backed by Abstract and General Catalyst and others.

Seed05/2026
Status —

Backed by Abstract and General Catalyst and others.

Seed04/2026
Antioch $8.5M

Backed by Category Ventures and A Star and others.

Largest and notable recorded rounds

Each card is one recorded round
10 cards

Swipe or scroll horizontally to browse.

THE BUSINESS BEHIND THE ACTIVITY

Revenue, profitability & financial strength

Annual accounts for reporting companies linked to this landscape, on like-for-like currency and reporting bases.

Expand panel +
USD · millions · consolidated

Display conversions use the dated reference rates above. Where a verified rate is unavailable, figures retain their source currency. Each reporting cohort keeps its currency and accounting basis separate.

FY2025 · annual statements grouped by reported fiscal year; exact entity periods remain on preview rows · 13 reporting entities from 25 eligible matches.

Revenue in covered accounts$14,531.0m

Sum of reporting-entity revenue; not the United States market sales.

Net profit / loss$-265.9m

Combined result for the same cohort.

Aggregate net margin-1.8%

Combined net income ÷ combined revenue.

Median company revenue$66.0m

The middle covered reporting entity.

Profitable entities+30.8%

4 of 13 covered entities.

Top-five concentration+98.0%

Share of covered revenue from the five largest entities.

Annual account trend

Reported cohort totals by year; coverage is stated for every period.

Bar height shows revenue. Changes in coverage can affect totals.

Profitability has two perspectives

FY2025 · 13 reporting entities

Open the company accounts

Up to eight fixed company previews show financial amounts. Search and sort the wider company list, then continue in Radar.

13 reporting entities
Continue your financial research in Radar

Explore full company accounts and filings.

View financials in Radar ↗
THE UNITED STATES · INDUSTRY COHORTS

How does ar, vr and spatial computing compare?

Each pair uses the same year, currency and reporting basis. Cohort overlap is disclosed.

IndustryCovered / eligibleRevenue totalMedian revenueNet profit / lossAggregate marginProfitable shareOverlap

Available-account cohorts are not estimates of whole industries. Overlapping entities can occur in more than one cohort; do not add cohort totals.

Coverage, calculations & financial sources

Filed annual accounts for exact designated national identifiers. Every aggregate and peer pair uses one fiscal year, source currency and reporting basis; periods, coverage and overlap are explicit; 2026 partials are excluded.

The same up to eight reporting entities remain open across years, filters and sorts. Other company figures are available in Radar.

Source currencies and accounting bases stay separate. Missing accounts are excluded rather than treated as zero. Exact reporting periods appear on company previews. Annual totals can change with coverage and do not measure growth of a fixed company cohort.

DIGITAL FOOTPRINT

Web traffic, app reach and release cadence

How the the United States companies on this page show up online: the sites people visit, the apps they install, and how often those apps ship.

Busiest websites

55 of the 3,358 companies on this page carry a measured traffic record (1.6%); these are the largest of those, by monthly visits. The median among them is 704,911 visits.

CompanyMonthly visitsAuthorityMobile
Robloxroblox.com690,576,8539715.7%
Epic Gamesepicgames.com141,624,5748961.7%
Metameta.com57,417,7869071.8%
Modrinthmodrinth.com40,311,5566826.3%
VRChatvrchat.com20,067,8446745.6%
Razerrazer.com15,654,5117350.5%
Unityunity.com13,901,3427140.1%
Matterportmatterport.com11,525,9865871.6%
Meshymeshy.ai11,254,4435037.2%
Afternicafternic.com10,260,6524241.8%

Visits and authority are third-party web estimates, not company-reported figures.

Most-installed apps

289 of these companies (8.6%) publish at least one Android app — 822 apps in all, carrying 2.4B installs between them.

AppInstallsRatingStore category
RobloxRoblox1.6B4.2Adventure
Pokémon GONiantic555.9M3.8Adventure
FortniteEpic Games29.2M3.9Action
Meta HorizonMeta27.6M4.4Adventure
Geocaching®Geocaching22.6M4.6Health & Fitness
IngressIngress21.7M4.1Adventure
SUSH Grow cute virtual animalSUSH app21.6M4.1Social
3D Modeling App: Sculpt & Draw3D Modeling App13.6M3.9Art & Design
VaR\'s VR Video PlayerAfter Breakdown Games13.1M3.8Video Players & Editors
ZombieBooth 2Tyffon11.8M3Entertainment

Installs are lifetime totals to date at the June 2026 store reading — a measure of reach, not of people using an app today.

App reach by segment

The busiest app inside each of this page’s own segments, with the quarterly release trend behind it (2024Q1–2026Q2).

SegmentAppsInstallsLeading appRelease trend
Mobile Gaming322.2BRoblox 1.6B
Metaverse261.7BMeta Horizon 27.6M
Non Fungible Tokens41.6BSpatial 803.8K
Augmented Reality480597.2MPokémon GO 555.9M
Social Platforms1457.1MSUSH Grow cute virtual animal 21.6M
Gaming Tech5249.1MFortnite 29.2M
Virtual Reality18747.9MZombieBooth 2 11.8M
3D Animation2529.9M3D Modeling App: Sculpt & Draw 13.6M

A company can carry several segment tags, so these rows overlap and should not be added together. Trend lines are zero-based and share one quarter grid, so a flat line is a quiet segment, not a missing one.

Release cadence by quarter

New apps published, beside apps whose most recent update landed in that quarter — the second bar is how much of the shelf is still being maintained.

2023Q2: 102023Q2: 32023Q22023Q3: 142023Q3: 72023Q32023Q4: 152023Q4: 142023Q42024Q1: 172024Q1: 122024Q12024Q2: 282024Q2: 112024Q22024Q3: 172024Q3: 532024Q32024Q4: 132024Q4: 132024Q42025Q1: 62025Q1: 132025Q12025Q2: 222025Q2: 242025Q22025Q3: 172025Q3: 262025Q32025Q4: 202025Q4: 3562025Q42026Q1: 122026Q1: 862026Q1

Darker bars are new releases, lighter bars apps updated. 802 of 822 apps carry a release date. The series ends at 2026Q1, the last quarter that closed before the June 2026 reading.

INSIDE THE INDUSTRY

The the United States ar, vr and spatial computing market map

Explore the segments behind the headline numbers.

Expand panel +

Where companies are building

Rank segments by scale, hiring or disclosed funding.

Enterprise tech2,440
Deep tech2,115
Consumer digital1,459
Enterprise software1,258
Saas604
Gaming552
Industry 4.0310
Healthtech209
Gaming engines184
Ar vr in entertainment176
Edtech163
Pc and console game developers155

Companies can sit in several segments. Counts and funding overlap.

SEGMENT TO EXPLORE

Enterprise tech

The largest measured segment in this report snapshot.

2440companies
5.4%have hiring activity

132 companies hiring · $35.72B disclosed funding

Explore in Radar

How companies make money

Common revenue models; a company can use more than one.

Subscription2,589
Fee-for-service374
E-commerce - product360
Advertising324
Commission on transaction323
Physical commerce225
E-commerce - service193
Sponsorship24
THE COMPANIES IN MOTION

Who is listing, hiring leaders, launching and winning work

Recorded corporate activity linked to companies in this landscape.

Expand panel +
Recent corporate headlines 10 dated reports
Funding roundsmeta.com ↗

Meta Platforms is working with Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan Chase on a roughly $13 billion financing package for a data center in El Paso, Texas.

Mergers & acquisitionsmicrosoft.com ↗

Microsoft reportedly explored acquiring AI coding startup Cursor before SpaceX secured the rights to acquire the company in a deal valued at $60 billion.

Mergers & acquisitionsaberdeen.com ↗

The merger of these two firms in 2017 was a landmark event in the investment management industry.

Mergers & acquisitionsgoogle.com ↗

Intel CEO Li Bu Tan signed deals with Elon Musk’s Terafab and Google

Funding roundsallspice.io ↗

The most recent competitors to raise funding was AllSpice, which secured $15M in Jun, 2025.

Mergers & acquisitionssportsbox.ai ↗

A group of investors led by US golfer Bryson DeChambeau have acquired Sportsbox AI, an artificial intelligence (AI) coaching startup.

Mergers & acquisitionsrecroom.com ↗

Snap acquired select assets from video game developer and publisher Rec Room to strengthen its immersive and social gaming capabilities.

Funding roundsmojo.vision ↗

In General XR News April 2, 2026 – Mojo Vision, a developer of a micro-LED platform designed to enable artificial intelligence (AI) applications, has recently announced that it has secured a USD $17.5 million strategic investment.

Mergers & acquisitionsllamasoft.com ↗

The deal includes IBM's LogicNet Plus, Inventory and Product Flow Analyst, and Transportation Analyst products, along with related technology and support teams.

Mergers & acquisitionsgoldsim.com ↗

Datacor has acquired GoldSim Technology Group to strengthen its advanced analytics and modeling capabilities.

Full recorded event mix

Top 10 categories among 4,295 recorded events in the 24-month window.

Leadership moves
722
Earnings
610
Company announcements
523
Contracts
449
New products
435
Lawsuit
390
Regulatory
298
Mergers & acquisitions
254
Funding rounds
141
Asset acquisitions
140
7 activity cards

Swipe or scroll horizontally to browse.

Leadership moves

167 tracked people moves

KinoTek ↗
Dr. Darin Padua

Appointment Scientific Advisor

KinoTek ↗
Dr. Mark Sakr

Appointment Scientific Advisor

Roblox ↗
Sunil Rao

Appointment Managing Director

RealWear ↗
Andy Lowery

Departure Previously Chief Executive Officer

Mohak Shroff

Appointment President of Platforms and Digital Work

Charlie Bell

Promotion Previously Cybersecurity leader

Ryan Roslansky

Resignation Executive Vice President at Microsoft

Roblox ↗
Joost Hagesteijn

Appointment General Manager for Europe

Product launches

Products, platforms and features in the recorded window

365 E7

Service

Copilot Cowork

Corporate AI Assistance

Meta ↗
Digital version of Mark Zuckerberg

Virtual human AI avatar

Meta ↗
AI‑Powered Digital Mark Zuckerberg Avatar

Virtual Human / Digital Assistant

MicroVision ↗
MicroVision Global Partner and Reseller Program

Program

eSIM platform

Platform

Razer ↗
Razer V4 Pro

Gaming mouse

National Mobile Registry (NMR) platform

Platform

Regulatory events

87 recorded events

Meta ↗

Investigation commencedEuropean Commission

Meta ↗

unwind of acquisitionChina’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC)

Meta ↗

acquisition banned and rescindedChina’s National Development and Reform Commission

Meta ↗

unwind acquisitionChina’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC)

Litigation

24 tracked suits

Company
Elon Musk v Samuel Altman, openai, Greg Brockman, microsoft

Nonprofit status and investment disputeCivil · Ongoing

Company
Elon Musk v openai, microsoft

non-profit status misrepresentationCivil · Ongoing

Earnings pulse

Reported company results in the recorded window.

27companies
682period observations
18.0%median reported growth

Median across 603 reported growth observations; companies may contribute multiple periods.

Mergers and acquisitions

Company-linked deal reports; status is preserved as recorded.

Acquirer → targetStatusDateValue / context
Microsoft HoloLens→tiktokRumored2026-08-29Not stated in snapshot
Microsoft HoloLens→activision blizzardPending2026-07-18$69.0B
Google Glass→vodafone ideaAnnounced2026-05-28Not stated in snapshot
Streem→selerioAnnounced2026-05-23Not stated in snapshot
Microsoft HoloLens→london stock exchangeAnnounced2026-05-12$2.0B
Meta→manusAnnounced2026-05-04$2.0B

A discussion or rumour is not a completed transaction. An unstated value is not zero.

PEOPLE & OPPORTUNITY

The talent market

6,525 postings in the preceding 12 months. The full 9,352-posting snapshot covers 303 employers.

Expand panel +

Most advertised job titles

Sign Language Interpreter Community79
Product Designer71
Content Designer64
Software Engineer46
Security Engineer45
Data Science Manager, Analytics41
6 internship postings

224 tracked postings mention remote work.

The seniority mix

3,694 postings specify a level.

unspecified
5,658
manager
2,025
senior
1,100
lead
429
intern
101
entry
39

Skills employers mention

Top skills across 9,352 tracked postings in the available jobs snapshot.

Python
204
Typescript
119
Aws
102
Sql
101
React
94
Salesforce
86
C++
85
Excel
79
Javascript
73
Kubernetes
73
ADVERTISED PAY$108.5K/ year

Median across 944 postings with pay data, expressed in USD.

Salary by seniority

manager$106.3K/ year306 postings
senior$150.0K/ year110 postings
lead$175.0K/ year43 postings

Advertised posting medians do not describe all employees or roles.

THE PEOPLE BUILDING THE FIELD

Founders and leaders

2,184 founders and chief executives across 1,553 companies.

Expand panel +
12 profiles

Swipe or scroll horizontally to browse.

Education networks

382 profiles with education records.

Stanford University
68
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
39
University of California (Berkeley)
33
Harvard University
32
Carnegie Mellon University
24
University of Pennsylvania
19
Harvard Business School
16
Yale University
16

Prior employers

107 profiles with prior-work records.

Microsoft
29
Apple
22
Google
19
Facebook
13
Amazon
12
McKinsey
6
Intel
5
Salesforce
3

Profiles cover recorded founders and leaders; contact details remain in Radar.

NEWS INTELLIGENCE

How this industry appears in the news

203,532 articles in the measured 12-month window.

Expand panel +
203,532articles in the measured year
55,520articles in 2026Q1
69.3%positive tone in the latest complete year

News volume trends

AR, VR and Spatial Computing coverage across United States · articles per complete quarter

019,43138,86258,29377,7242021Q2: 23,4932021Q22021Q3: 26,8362021Q4: 24,6542022Q1: 31,3652022Q2: 28,2812022Q22022Q3: 29,0762022Q4: 31,5942023Q1: 37,6662023Q2: 49,6282023Q22023Q3: 38,9172023Q4: 39,5582024Q1: 44,2282024Q2: 41,0232024Q22024Q3: 46,8022024Q4: 45,3172025Q1: 67,5862025Q2: 45,1012025Q22025Q3: 57,4862025Q4: 44,9012026Q1: 55,5202026Q1
View quarterly article counts
QuarterArticles
2021Q223,493
2021Q326,836
2021Q424,654
2022Q131,365
2022Q228,281
2022Q329,076
2022Q431,594
2023Q137,666
2023Q249,628
2023Q338,917
2023Q439,558
2024Q144,228
2024Q241,023
2024Q346,802
2024Q445,317
2025Q167,586
2025Q245,101
2025Q357,486
2025Q444,901
2026Q155,520

Article volume measures coverage, not market sales.

Tone of coverage over time

2021
61,124 positive · 701 neutral · 18,919 negative
2022
86,613 positive · 1,021 neutral · 32,615 negative
2023
116,897 positive · 1,394 neutral · 47,403 negative
2024
127,284 positive · 1,158 neutral · 48,860 negative
2025
148,897 positive · 2,076 neutral · 63,980 negative

Leading coverage topics

AR, VR and Spatial Computing coverage across United States · ranked by full-period article count.

Artificial Intelligence Advancements32,181 articles in the full recorded period
12,544 recent · 8,935 prior
New Product Launches And Innovations15,637 articles in the full recorded period
5,193 recent · 3,659 prior
Technology Adoption And Digital Transformation14,019 articles in the full recorded period
4,478 recent · 3,385 prior
Semiconductor Industry Updates13,538 articles in the full recorded period
5,147 recent · 3,401 prior
Latest Gadgets And Consumer Electronics12,556 articles in the full recorded period
3,473 recent · 2,524 prior
Strategic Partnerships And Collaborations11,437 articles in the full recorded period
3,765 recent · 2,619 prior
Tech Policy And Government Regulations11,069 articles in the full recorded period
2,993 recent · 2,974 prior
Mobile Operating Systems10,865 articles in the full recorded period
2,835 recent · 2,274 prior
Cybersecurity Threats And Solutions10,115 articles in the full recorded period
2,800 recent · 2,370 prior
Ethical Considerations In Ai Development9,439 articles in the full recorded period
3,580 recent · 2,385 prior

Recent and prior counts use the source comparison windows.

Topics gaining and losing attention

AR, VR and Spatial Computing coverage across United States

KeywordRecentPriorChange
cloud infrastructure1,65094375%
ai copyright issues819382114%
green data centers80150858%
new gadgets69446450%
ai liability669229192%
h-1b visa51848979%
ip litigation504441045%
flagship pricing46933241%
tech legislation46232741%
smart glasses451159184%
drone defense587982-40%
faa drone rules401899-55%
drone airspace rules391883-56%
anti-drone system479748-36%
political reporting237736-68%

Event and signal lenses

AR, VR and Spatial Computing coverage across United States

All complete annual cohorts shown
Rising

Regulatory Risk

178,306 classified articles

ai regulation compliance, responsible ai, ai research

65.4% critical · 35.3% positive
Rising

Funding Momentum

37,562 classified articles

ai infrastructure financing, neural network ventures, ai hardware

47.4% critical · 59.4% positive
Rising

Growth

57,687 classified articles

ai hardware, dc fast-charging deployment, ai research

56.0% critical · 50.0% positive

AR, VR and Spatial Computing coverage across United States. Topic labels describe recorded classifications and can include broad context.

RESEARCH SIGNALS

What AR, VR and Spatial Computing research is working on

6,803 papers in the recorded india scope.

Expand panel +
6,803papers
53,448worldwide comparison pool
6,803India-affiliated papers

Research orientation

Promising
3,017
Breakthrough
1,653
Descriptive
659
Problem-identifying
639
Cautionary
468
Comparative
302
Critical
65

Contribution mix

Empirical
2,951
Methods-led
2,589
Reviews
863
Position pieces
323
Theoretical
77

Tone counts: 6,595 positive · 80 neutral · 128 negative.

Common problems researchers identify
704 papers · 10.3% of this field
  • Virtual reality379 papers
  • Human–computer interaction156 papers
  • Augmented reality152 papers
  • Metaverse125 papers
  • Perception51 papers
  • Mixed reality27 papers
  • Cognition24 papers
  • Multimedia24 papers

Landmark: Virtual reality for stroke rehabilitation

Cautions
468 papers · 6.9% of this field
  • Virtual reality268 papers
  • Augmented reality92 papers
  • Human–computer interaction88 papers
  • Perception46 papers
  • Psychological intervention26 papers
  • Usability22 papers
  • Training20 papers
  • Metaverse20 papers

Landmark: Online Communication and Adolescent Relationships

Opportunities
4,670 papers · 68.6% of this field
  • Virtual reality2,399 papers
  • Augmented reality998 papers
  • Human–computer interaction939 papers
  • Visualization268 papers
  • Metaverse265 papers
  • Haptic technology213 papers
  • Perception209 papers
  • Training190 papers

Landmark: KinectFusion: Real-time dense surface mapping and tracking

Leading institutions

Stanford University
15,573
Microsoft
13,828
University of Southern California
9,398
University of Central Florida
7,656
Creative Technologies
5,186
Columbia University
5,060

Leading researchers

Otmar Hilliges
6,772
Shahram Izadi
6,604
Jeremy N. Bailenson
6,406
David Molyneaux
5,999
Richard A. Newcombe
4,202
Andrew Fitzgibbon
3,902
Hrvoje Benko
3,670
Albert Rizzo
3,334

Highly cited breakthrough-labelled papers

  • KinectFusion: Real-time dense surface mapping and tracking3,902 citations
  • KinectFusion2,097 citations
  • Coming of age in Second Life: an anthropologist explores the virtually human1,428 citations
  • Local light field fusion1,047 citations
  • VirtualWorlds as Proxy for Multi-object Tracking Analysis1,003 citations

Common problems researchers identify

677 papers · 7 recurring themes
7 cards

Swipe or scroll horizontally to browse.

Metaverse Interaction ChallengesCommon problems researchers identify · 01

Metaverse Interaction Challenges

126 papers

18.6% of this theme group

Researchers highlight ethical, social, and design difficulties in creating immersive virtual worlds.

Metaverse (121) · Social worlds (14) · Possible world (13) · Human–computer interaction (35)

The Seven Worlds and Experiences of the Wireless Metaverse: Challenges and Opportunities

Navigating Ethical Dimensions in the Metaverse: Challenges, Frameworks, and Solutions

View research history
YearShare index
202251.3
202379.3
202476.1
202544.1
AR/VR Development ObstaclesCommon problems researchers identify · 02

AR/VR Development Obstacles

118 papers

17.4% of this theme group

Papers discuss technical and usability hurdles faced when building augmented and virtual reality applications.

Augmented reality (109) · Human–computer interaction (57) · Mixed reality (19) · Virtual reality (45)

Creating Augmented and Virtual Reality Applications: Current Practices, Challenges, and Opportunities

Making Augmented Reality a Reality

View research history
YearShare index
2022770.8
2023832.7
2024959.7
2025500.7
VR Perception and User MaturityCommon problems researchers identify · 03

VR Perception and User Maturity

108 papers

16.0% of this theme group

Studies examine how perception gaps and user experience levels affect virtual reality effectiveness.

Virtual reality (93) · Perception (22) · Athletes (4) · Maturity (3)

Older Adults’ Experiences with Audiovisual Virtual Reality: Perceived Usefulness and Other Factors Influencing Technology Acceptance

Visual Perceptual Confidence: Exploring Discrepancies Between Self-reported and Actual Distance Perception In Virtual Reality

View research history
YearShare index
20222196.1
20232184.3
20242179.8
20252327.8
Rehabilitation VR EffectivenessCommon problems researchers identify · 04

Rehabilitation VR Effectiveness

93 papers

13.7% of this theme group

Works assess the limits and design considerations of virtual reality for therapeutic and rehabilitation purposes.

Rehabilitation (20) · Virtual reality (73) · Psychological intervention (18) · Physical medicine and rehabilitation (9)

Considerations in the Efficacy and Effectiveness of Virtual Reality Interventions for Stroke Rehabilitation: Moving the Field Forward

Design Considerations for Virtual Reality Intervention for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: A Systematic Review

View research history
YearShare index
20221336.8
20231323.1
20241365.7
20251316.0
Wearable and Big‑Data IntegrationCommon problems researchers identify · 05

Wearable and Big‑Data Integration

82 papers

12.1% of this theme group

Research points to challenges in merging wearable computing, large data streams, and embodied cognition.

Wearable computer (6) · Big data (4) · Plan (3) · Embodied cognition (5)

Immersive Planning: A Conceptual Model for Designing Public Participation with New Technologies

Supporting Sport Participation and Performance in Autistic Youth: A Narrative Review of Wearable Technologies and Emerging BCI Approaches

View research history
YearShare index
202269.7
202368.9
202456.6
202572.1
HCI and Multimedia in VRCommon problems researchers identify · 06

HCI and Multimedia in VR

82 papers

12.1% of this theme group

Authors identify difficulties in harmonizing human‑computer interaction, graphics, and multimedia within virtual environments.

Human–computer interaction (72) · Virtual reality (78) · Multimedia (14) · Computer graphics (9)

Sensory VR

Technology and applications for collaborative learning in virtual reality

View research history
YearShare index
2022760.7
2023810.0
2024867.6
2025336.6
VR in Medical TrainingCommon problems researchers identify · 07

VR in Medical Training

68 papers

10.0% of this theme group

Papers discuss barriers to adopting virtual reality for medical education and skill development.

Virtual reality (52) · Medical education (12) · Curriculum (10) · Training (9)

Using virtual reality in medical education to teach empathy

Virtual reality for education and workforce training

View research history
YearShare index
2022509.3
2023497.5
2024405.6
2025265.4

Cautions

459 papers · 7 recurring themes
7 cards

Swipe or scroll horizontally to browse.

VR Clinical Trial LimitationsCautions · 01

VR Clinical Trial Limitations

101 papers

22.0% of this theme group

Researchers caution about methodological and safety concerns when applying VR in therapeutic trials.

Virtual reality (78) · Psychological intervention (18) · Rehabilitation (12) · Randomized controlled trial (12)

The Effect of Virtual Reality on Pain and Range of Motion in Adults With Burn Injuries

Virtual reality for persistent pain: A new direction for behavioral pain management

View research history
YearShare index
20221357.4
20231347.6
20241372.5
20251387.1
Affective Design Risks in VRCautions · 02

Affective Design Risks in VR

101 papers

22.0% of this theme group

Works warn of challenges in managing emotional responses and multimedia overload in immersive systems.

Human–computer interaction (60) · Virtual reality (88) · Affect (9) · Multimedia (11)

Current opportunities and challenges of immersive virtual reality for psychological research and application

Designing a virtual reality system for clinical education and examination

View research history
YearShare index
2022758.8
2023808.0
2024865.2
2025333.6
AR Usability on MobileCautions · 03

AR Usability on Mobile

82 papers

17.9% of this theme group

Studies highlight usability and depth‑perception problems for augmented reality on handheld devices.

Augmented reality (78) · Human–computer interaction (20) · Usability (8) · Mobile device (3)

Designing for Depth Perceptions in Augmented Reality

Personalization of Interactive Teaching Materials Supported by Augmented Reality: Potentials vs Obstacles in 3D Geometry Learning

View research history
YearShare index
2022792.1
2023854.2
2024980.2
2025558.9
Rendering Accuracy ConcernsCautions · 04

Rendering Accuracy Concerns

60 papers

13.1% of this theme group

Papers address how rendering choices impact spatial perception and sensory fidelity in virtual environments.

Virtual reality (48) · Rendering (9) · Perception (13) · Offset (3)

Elucidating Factors that Can Facilitate Veridical Spatial Perception in Immersive Virtual Environments

Effects of Rendering a Virtual Nose on Odor Perception and Presence in Mixed Reality

View research history
YearShare index
20222167.7
20232153.6
20242148.7
20252295.8
VR Educational EffectivenessCautions · 05

VR Educational Effectiveness

52 papers

11.3% of this theme group

Researchers question the instructional impact and transferability of immersive learning experiences.

Virtual reality (41) · Educational technology (8) · Multimedia (8) · Instructional simulation (4)

The role of virtual reality in enhancing educational outcomes across disciplines

Implicit Learning of Professional Skills through Immersive Virtual Reality: a Media Comparison Study

View research history
YearShare index
2022282.7
2023274.8
2024235.1
2025128.5
Robotics and VR DistractionCautions · 06

Robotics and VR Distraction

34 papers

7.4% of this theme group

Works note potential attentional conflicts when combining robotic or drone stimuli with virtual simulations.

Robot (5) · Drone (5) · Perception (7) · Distraction (3)

Technical and conceptual considerations for using animated stimuli in studies of animal behavior

Children’s ability to estimate approaching vehicle time-to-arrival following training in a virtual pedestrian environment

View research history
YearShare index
20223131.7
20233131.9
20243161.9
20253103.2
Metaverse Knowledge TransferCautions · 07

Metaverse Knowledge Transfer

29 papers

6.3% of this theme group

Studies caution about difficulties in moving skills and affordances between virtual and real worlds.

Metaverse (20) · Virtual world (3) · Social media (3) · Knowledge management (2)

Understanding Online Education in Metaverse: Systems and User Experience Perspectives

Reaching Between Worlds: Calibration and Transfer of Perceived Affordances from Virtual to Real Environments

View research history
YearShare index
2022194.0
2023224.2
2024209.6
2025206.8

Opportunities

4,440 papers · 7 recurring themes
7 cards

Swipe or scroll horizontally to browse.

VR for Pain and TherapyOpportunities · 01

VR for Pain and Therapy

889 papers

20.0% of this theme group

Research shows virtual reality can aid anxiety reduction, pain management, and physical rehabilitation.

Virtual reality (731) · Anxiety (75) · Physical therapy (58) · Physical medicine and rehabilitation (68)

Virtual reality and neurofeedback as a supportive approach to managing cancer symptoms for patients receiving treatment: A brief report of a

Virtual Reality Facilitated Exercise Increases Sympathetic Activity and Reduces Pain Perception

View research history
YearShare index
20221005.2
2023977.9
2024965.5
2025584.6
Advanced Rendering and WorkflowsOpportunities · 02

Advanced Rendering and Workflows

863 papers

19.4% of this theme group

Papers explore new rendering techniques and workflow integrations that enhance virtual reality performance.

Rendering (81) · Visualization (103) · Virtual reality (278) · Workflow (37)

Risk-Based Optimization of Virtual Reality over Terahertz Reconfigurable\n Intelligent Surfaces

Exploring Multiscale Navigation of Homogeneous and Dense Objects with Progressive Refinement in Virtual Reality

View research history
YearShare index
202296.8
202399.5
202482.3
2025143.1
AR/VR for Design and LearningOpportunities · 03

AR/VR for Design and Learning

848 papers

19.1% of this theme group

Works demonstrate how mixed reality supports educational experiences and design evaluation processes.

Augmented reality (781) · Human–computer interaction (248) · Mixed reality (65) · Visualization (69)

Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality for Learning: An Examination Using an Extended Technology Acceptance Model

The Application of Augmented Reality in Simulation-Based Design Evaluations of Trauma Rooms

View research history
YearShare index
2022770.8
2023832.7
2024959.7
2025500.7
Collaborative Immersive VisualizationOpportunities · 04

Collaborative Immersive Visualization

757 papers

17.0% of this theme group

Studies present methods for multi‑user data exploration and interaction within virtual reality platforms.

Human–computer interaction (504) · Virtual reality (637) · Computer graphics (92) · Multimedia (81)

Immersive and collaborative data visualization using virtual reality platforms

Exploring Multimodal Feedback Mechanisms for Improving User Interaction in Virtual Reality Environments

View research history
YearShare index
2022760.7
2023810.0
2024867.6
2025336.6
Experiential VR TrainingOpportunities · 05

Experiential VR Training

591 papers

13.3% of this theme group

Research highlights virtual reality as a powerful tool for hands‑on skill acquisition and training.

Virtual reality (482) · Training (92) · Multimedia (74) · Experiential learning (31)

Virtual Reality Simulation

Assessing Immersive Virtual Reality as Learning Tool for Surgical Trainees

View research history
YearShare index
2022303.1
2023296.4
2024253.7
2025164.4
Metaverse Social and Health ApplicationsOpportunities · 06

Metaverse Social and Health Applications

274 papers

6.2% of this theme group

Papers investigate avatar‑driven interactions and health‑focused services within emerging virtual worlds.

Metaverse (254) · Social worlds (13) · Human–computer interaction (86) · Avatar (26)

Avatars, People, and Virtual Worlds: Foundations for Research in Metaverses

Development of metaverse for intelligent healthcare

View research history
YearShare index
2022672.6
2023737.3
2024822.0
2025334.3
Wearable Haptic InterfacesOpportunities · 07

Wearable Haptic Interfaces

218 papers

4.9% of this theme group

Works showcase skin‑integrated and wearable haptic technologies that enrich virtual and augmented reality experiences.

Haptic technology (198) · Virtual reality (133) · Actuator (15) · Wearable computer (33)

Skin‐Integrated Vibrohaptic Interfaces for Virtual and Augmented Reality

Wireality: Enabling Complex Tangible Geometries in Virtual Reality with Worn Multi-String Haptics

View research history
YearShare index
2022134.0
2023127.5
2024114.4
2025116.0

How this field compares with the research baseline

Orientation shares compared with 25,000 papers in the reference sample.

Research orientationThis fieldReference sample
Promising44.3%36.9%
Breakthrough24.3%26.5%
Descriptive9.7%17.4%
Problem-identifying9.4%9.9%
Cautionary6.9%4.4%
Comparative4.4%4.0%
Critical1.0%0.9%

Concerns receiving less research attention

Counts and shares refer to the stated research pool. A low count describes how much of that research is recorded here, not the absence of a real-world concern.

Concern / example paperPapersShareRaised as a problemWorldwide share
Privacy & surveillanceOnline Communication and Adolescent Relationships1191.85%58 (48.7%)1.12%
Safety & misuseLEGAL FRAMEWORK FOR PROTECTING BANKING TRANSACTIONS IN THE METAVERSE AGAINST DEEPFAKE TECHNOLOGY110.17%4 (36.4%)0.1%
Bias & fairnessNavigating Gender Biases in XR: Towards Equitable Technological Future70.11%2 (28.6%)0.05%
Energy & datacenter footprintEnergy-Efficient Resource Allocation for Mobile Edge Computing-Based Augmented Reality Applications20.03%0 (0.0%)0.03%
Water use00.0%0 (%)0.0%
Carbon & emissions of compute00.0%0 (%)0.0%
Hardware, e-waste & supply chain00.0%0 (%)0.01%
Labour & data work00.0%0 (%)0.03%
Concentration of compute power00.0%0 (%)0.01%

Institution and researcher rankings use citations to their covered work. Research scope: United States. This may be broader than the company geography.

GEOGRAPHIC FOOTPRINT

Where companies are based

Company counts, hiring and disclosed funding across the recorded hubs.

Expand panel +
8 cards

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UNDERSTAND THE LANDSCAPE

AR, VR and Spatial Computing in the United States: key questions

Clear definitions for making better comparisons.

What does this landscape measure?

It measures the tracked company ecosystem, recorded funding, hiring and other available evidence. It is not a market-size estimate.

Can segment counts be added together?

No. A company can belong to several segments, so segment counts and funding can overlap.

What does a missing figure mean?

A dash or unavailable panel means the current reviewed source snapshot does not support that figure.

KEEP EXPLORING

Put the United States in context

All landscapes ↗

Company ecosystem snapshot: 30 August 2026. Funding is recorded in USD; filed accounts retain their stated currency and reporting basis. Each section identifies its own coverage. The news and research behind these sections is explorable in Prism.

Canonical landscape ↗
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