Our weekly round up of 5 cool things we have seen in the immersive space this week!

1. Continuing to push the boundaries of what AR lenses can deliver,  this week Snapchat launched their ‘ground replacement lenses’ allowing users to change ground surface to water or bubbling lava.  Read more here

2. It's been a busy week for Snapchat as they feature twice in our round-up. They have collaborated with the Bank of England to bring to life the new £20 note which entered circulation this week. The new note features artist JMW Turner and users viewing through the AR lens can see some of his most celebrated paintings. Read more here

3. HTC Vive announced the release of three new lightweight VR headsets yesterday aimed at VR beginners. Billed as prototypes the new Cosmos Elite, Cosmos Play and Cosmos XR joined the HTC Vive family. HTC has asked for user feedback asd they continue to develop the product. Read more here

4. A new report this week claims that ‘40% of UK consumers use AR and VR on their phones to view products pre-purchase’. The report from DMA - Future Trends: A New World of Experience’ is certainly optimistic about the adoption of AR and VR for the everyday consumer. Retailers take heed, give the people what they want!

5. A great round-up by the ‘Man of the Future’ Tom Emrich as he predicts the top 20 AR trends of 2020. Some very interesting predictions; let's check back this time next year and see how many of these predictions became a reality! Definitely worth a read here

If you want to get started in the immersive space, we can help you find the best AR/VR/XR creators to help. Whether it's for an AR effect for social media or a full-scale VR training solution we have someone who can help. Visit Blend Market for more information or get in touch hello@blend.media