12 Mar 2026
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Mike Boland
AWE Talks: Are We Entering a Golden Age of Location-Based VR?
Welcome back to AWE Talks, our series that revisits the best AWE conference sessions. With AWE EU and Asia 2026 recently concluded, we have a fresh batch of session footage to sink our teeth into for weeks to come.
We continue our AWE EU coverage with a look at the momentum in location-based VR. Are these out-of-home social experiences filling a key VR market gap by counteracting the technology's isolation and barriers to ownership?
What are their biggest value points, and how can they be developed in ways that are humanistic and privacy-sensitive? Meta breaks it down.
See the summarized takeaways below, along with the full session video. Stay tuned for more video highlights each week and check out the full library of conference sessions on AWE’s YouTube Channel.
Speakers
Fabien BARATI, Excurio
Kevin WILLIAMS, KWP
Raphael HADDAD-UNIVRSE, XRoam
Virgile MANGIAVILLANO, Müzeverse | VR FutureHERE
Key Takeaways & Analysis
– The LBVR sector approached the brink of extinction during the Covid-Era.
– Lockdowns were detrimental, as was reliance on shared hardware, pressed against one's face.
– But the sector has rebounded greatly, and continues to see growth and momentum today.
– This can be seen in the recent growth of Sandbox, accelerated by its new franchise model.
– One reason for this recent traction is that without Covid, LBVR's value resonates today.
– It's appeal combines that of immersive experiences with outings that are inherently social.
– This counteracts one of VR's biggest experiential shortcomings, which is its isolation.
– From an economic standpoint, it also lets people experience VR without buying a headset.
– This resonates not only during an affordability crisis, but the culture of younger generations.
– Expanding on the latter, many in Gen Y and Gen Z prefer experiences over products.
– All these macro factors have propelled LBVR which meanwhile taps into longstanding value.
– LBVR can be seen as a descendant of longstanding institutions like theme parks and carnivals.
– Like these businesses, LBVR offers the combination of experiences and social connection.
– Of course, LBVR adds an immersive spin on that model, but it's based in the same principles.
– For event producers and venue owners, it also offers ways to expand and scale.
– For example, the same finite square footage can be used for several experiences.
– This dynamic way to activate experiences and installations is done through bits, not atoms.
– The resulting efficiencies and unit economics have been a boon for event producers.
– There are several ways this is playing out and flavors of LBVR as the sector evolves.
– Consequently, here's ample headroom as signs point a potential golden age for LBVR.
For more color and depth, including Graylin's full list of human-first AI development principles, see the full session below...
Want more XR insights and multimedia? ARtillery Intelligence offers an indexed and searchable library of XR intelligence known as ARtillery Pro. See more here.
– The LBVR sector approached the brink of extinction during the Covid-Era.
– Lockdowns were detrimental, as was reliance on shared hardware, pressed against one's face.
– But the sector has rebounded greatly, and continues to see growth and momentum today.
– This can be seen in the recent growth of Sandbox, accelerated by its new franchise model.
– One reason for this recent traction is that without Covid, LBVR's value resonates today.
– It's appeal combines that of immersive experiences with outings that are inherently social.
– This counteracts one of VR's biggest experiential shortcomings, which is its isolation.
– From an economic standpoint, it also lets people experience VR without buying a headset.
– This resonates not only during an affordability crisis, but the culture of younger generations.
– Expanding on the latter, many in Gen Y and Gen Z prefer experiences over products.
– All these macro factors have propelled LBVR which meanwhile taps into longstanding value.
– LBVR can be seen as a descendant of longstanding institutions like theme parks and carnivals.
– Like these businesses, LBVR offers the combination of experiences and social connection.
– Of course, LBVR adds an immersive spin on that model, but it's based in the same principles.
– For event producers and venue owners, it also offers ways to expand and scale.
– For example, the same finite square footage can be used for several experiences.
– This dynamic way to activate experiences and installations is done through bits, not atoms.
– The resulting efficiencies and unit economics have been a boon for event producers.
– There are several ways this is playing out and flavors of LBVR as the sector evolves.
– Consequently, here's ample headroom as signs point a potential golden age for LBVR.
For more color and depth, including Graylin's full list of human-first AI development principles, see the full session below...
Want more XR insights and multimedia? ARtillery Intelligence offers an indexed and searchable library of XR intelligence known as ARtillery Pro. See more here.
