XR offers a whole new realm for developers and creatives to explore. This includes entertainment products such as games and 360-degree videos (or 360 video for short), where a series of cameras are bundled together, each facing a different direction—the various captures from those cameras are stitched together and later played back like a movie in a VR headset, with visibility in all directions. Creative industry tools are also common in XR, such as 3D-modeling software, workflow visualizations, and quality-of-life gadgets. There are very few rules that have been set in stone, so there are plenty of opportunities to innovate, contribute to this new wave of technology, and become the one to create those rules. This has led to a lot of buzz and excitement as people explore what is possible and try to make their mark on the future of entertainment and interactive experiences.

Of course, almost every new and budding technology goes through the Hype Cycle (from the Gartner Hype Cycle, which you can see at https://www.gartner.com/technology/research/methodologies/hype-cycle.jsp). The Hype Cycle starts with its honeymoon period of excessive hype, where early adopters will evangelize its benefits. Later, there is an eventual cooling of emotions as it enters the trough of disillusionment since it hasn't quite hit the mainstream, and its benefits are not taking hold just yet. This continues until either the technology fails to capture hearts and minds, thereby falling out of existence, or takes a firm hold and continues steady adoption. The following diagram shows the essentials of the Gartner Hype Cycle:

Arguably, XR has recently been passing through this final phase and is starting to enjoy much better support and much higher quality experiences than it did during the early days, although it is true that the adoption rate of XR has been slower than initially predicted. It remains to be seen whether XR will grow into a multibillion dollar industry or fade into a niche market of gadgets. Consequently, developing within this new medium is not without its risks, and we can find industry analysts who will agree with our opinions, regardless of where we stand on the future of XR. One thing is for certain, though: every time someone experiences firsthand what VR and AR are capable of, they're blown away by the level of immersion and the medium's ability to convincingly transport them into another world. This level of immersion and interactivity is unparalleled and teases many more possibilities as support for the platforms matures and technology continues to advance.

In this chapter, we will explore the following topics:

• The concerns to keep in mind when developing VR or AR projects in Unity and what must be avoided
• Performance enhancements specific to the XR medium