As a result of the social distancing measures made necessary by the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the outside entertainment opportunities we were used to, such as cinemas, concerts and sports games, have been cancelled. Consequently, people are looking for entertainment options inside their homes. Fortunately, the new home playground powered by hardware and software has not relegated us to downgraded experiences – quite the opposite.
Hardware has traditionally been at the heart of the home experience. Over the last few years, home devices took a giant leap in terms of sophistication (new soundbars like Sonos’ Arc are dynamically tuned to the unique acoustics of rooms) and democratisation (more than 100 million 4K TVs are estimated to have been sold in 2019). But today, technology can do much more than recreating the cinema at home, with the most immersive experiences now starting in the living room. Both Sony's and Microsoft’s next generation consoles, equipped with enhanced specs to render increasingly photorealistic and richer worlds, are expected for the 2020 holiday season. Virtual reality (VR) headset shipments are set to more than quintuple in the next four years, and the technology is gaining traction well beyond its roots in gaming. For instance, in 2019, rugby fans could already enjoy spectacular 360-degree video highlights of the World Cup games.