AR/VR Investments Breaking Records in 2017

It was a big year for augmented and virtual reality. Not only did AR/VR gaming consoles evolve, but many industries, like construction and healthcare, have also adopted AR/VR - or at least put money into the advancement of such technology for training or presentation purposes. The bulk of the investing was on the startup side of the things with over $3 billion raised and $1.5 billion of that was just in Q4. Magic Leap, having used almost a fifth of all money raised in 2017, finally announced its new mixed reality goggles for shopping, gaming and media purposes. These have an estimated release sometime in 2018 and will cost a chunk of change somewhere in the $1,500 - $2,000 range.

The investments weren't linear this year though; a few larger investments at the end of quarter two and four took most of the bulk. Fundraising was also mostly dominated by a few larger wins for the industry. For all the juicy details on who invested and which category it went to, check out Digi-Capital's report here.