The name of the game in modern-day communications is proximity. How close can users easily get to what they want to experience? First there was the TV screen across the room. Then there was the computer screen less than a foot away, followed by the smartphone that moved content even closer. And now, thanks to virtual reality, there is no distance. Users are completely immersed in their own virtual environment, interacting in a 360-degree space with objects in a fully digitized world.The rise of reality-changing technologies — virtual, augmented or mixed — is what Accenture PLC is calling “extended reality” in its recently released report, “Technology Vision 2018

At the Accenture Technology Vision event this week in San Francisco, an annual report on the current state of technology was the topic of conversation. One of the key trends examined in the report was extended reality, which is seeing increased adoption from enterprises with more pilot programs and major deployments rolling out. Companies are even releasing requests for products designed for specific applications, indicating that the technology is starting to move past the test-and-learn phase.“We’ve seen a shift now where it’s the business starting to push the agenda