VR (Virtual Reality) technology is a disruptive new computing platform, and China should seize its opportunity to upgrade the country's VR industry and enhance innovation, said Zhao Qinping, academician with the Chinese Academy of Engineering. Zhao, also the director of China's Lab of Virtual Reality Technology and Systems, made his statement at the 2016 Visual Reality Summit in Gui'an, Guizhou province on Oct. 8.

Zhao pointed out that the core requirement for VR industry development is the development of VR technology, equipment and applications. Therefore, the highest priority is to strengthen VR research, emphasizing technological innovation and encouraging enterprises to utilize VR technology.

A total of more than $1.7 billion was invested in the VR and AR (Augmented Reality) industry in the first quarter of 2016, of which nearly $1 billion came from China, said Lu Shan, head of the China Center for Information Industry Development (CCID). However, China's VR patent applications only account for 6 percent of the world's total in the past three years.

Zhao pointed out that the main problems in China's VR industry are a lack of scientific innovation, slow content development and inferior standards and norms. Common technological obstacles faced by China's VR practitioners include achieving a wider viewing angle, reducing dizziness and mastering true 3-D effect, added Lu.