AWE 2026: The Expanding Reach of Immersive Experiences

AWE arrived at a moment when the immersive technology industry is moving in several directions at once. But alongside the attention around new hardware, another story is taking shape. AWE was not only about what new devices can make possible. It was also about how immersive experiences can become more accessible, more practical, and more deeply integrated into the devices and workflows people already use. Across communication, education, healthcare, gaming, entertainment, and productivity, conversations were increasingly focused on application: how immersive experiences can create value in familiar contexts, support real use cases, and move beyond specialized environments into everyday digital life.

The theme this year – I, Spatial: Humans Empowered by Spatial AI – reflected just how tightly AI, spatial computing, and immersive experiences have become intertwined. More than 5,000 attendees, 250 exhibitors, and 400 speakers filled the show floor, and major announcements from Snap, Qualcomm, Google, and XREAL reinforced that investment in new hardware categories isn’t slowing down. Snap introduced its new Specs AR glasses. Qualcomm unveiled Snapdragon Reality Elite, a new XR platform designed to support more advanced immersive and AI-driven experiences. The momentum was real – but momentum in hardware alone doesn’t answer the larger question the industry is working through.

Beyond XR and Into Everyday Digital Experiences

That question was the focus of the session presented by Leia Inc. CMO Jochem Taminiau, Beyond XR: The Shift Toward Spatial, Immersive Digital Experiences.

Rather than positioning spatial interaction as something that requires a new device category, the session made the case that it can be delivered directly through the phones, tablets, laptops, and monitors people already use – and that framing opened a much broader conversation about where immersive experiences belong. XR and everyday devices aren't competing trajectories — the more interesting question is what happens when immersive experiences stop requiring a choice between them.

From Application to Adoption

New hardware continues to push the industry forward, but the conversations that felt most substantive at AWE were about application. Healthcare demonstrations showed how immersive visualization can support a clearer understanding of complex anatomy and patient data. Education use cases explored new ways of helping learners engage with difficult concepts. Communication, productivity, gaming, and entertainment all pointed in the same direction: the industry is increasingly measuring immersive experiences by the value they create, not just the novelty they introduce.

That's also what makes the adoption question so important. Broader reach depends on whether immersive experiences can meet people through the devices and workflows they already have. If they remain tied to specialized environments, adoption requires choosing an entirely new device category. If they can be integrated into smartphones, tablets, laptops, and monitors, the path to scale becomes much clearer — and that is increasingly what device manufacturers are looking for as they seek to differentiate beyond performance specs. The Immersity Platform combines Spatial AI Software and Switchable-Display Hardware to support exactly that shift, giving manufacturers, developers, and content creators new ways to add depth to existing ecosystems.

Looking Ahead

AWE 2026 showed an industry that has moved beyond a single definition of immersive technology. New wearable platforms and spatial computing devices will keep pushing the boundaries of what's possible. But the broader opportunity is in bringing immersive experiences into the devices, applications, and workflows that already shape everyday digital life — and that is where the most meaningful adoption will happen. The question is no longer whether immersive experiences are technically impressive. It's how quickly they become a natural part of the way people communicate, learn, work, create, and consume content.

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