The sense of smell has been added to the virtual reality experience as shown by metaverse companies at the CES 2023.
According to a recent report from the consulting company McKinsey & Company, the metaverse may be able to provide $5 trillion in value by 2030. The paper did point out that a more developed human component that offers its consumers satisfying experiences is necessary for the metaverse to succeed.
The incorporation of the senses of smell and touch into recent CES VR experiences may be one of these drivers.According to Fortune, one of the companies, OVR Technology, displayed a headset with a canister holding eight smells that could be combined to produce different odors.
According to reports, the VR headgear will be available before the end of 2023. An previous version that was employed for fragrance marketing allows consumers to smell a variety of settings, such as a bed of roses or a marshmallow being roasted.
The CEO of OVR Technology, Aaron Wisniewski, claims that extended reality will soon be incorporated with business, entertainment, social interaction, education, and well-being.
The CEO emphasized the “unmatched force” that smell imparts to these experiences. When the technology is widely available on the market, FireFlare Games executive Aurora Townsend also mentioned that her company will release a VR dating app that also integrates immersive sensations like touch.
Consumers might not be overly excited about the new development in the meantime. Ozan Ozaskinli, a CES attendee, tested a few haptics products and noted that they are currently “far from reality.”
The tech consultant added, however, that it might also be incorporated into online meetings because users can now actually feel something thanks to technology. Blockchain technology and the metaverse dominated the CES event in 2022.
Executives from the currently troubled FTX and Celsius Network were among the numerous figures in the cryptocurrency world who attended the event. Through their booths, brands demonstrated blockchain and metaverse advancements. Samsung, for instance, announced an NFT platform.