Another year is upon us, and with it comes another round of predictions about all the ways technology will enhance, overtake, or overwhelm us over the next 12 months. In the world of technology, these predictions can often be pretty geeky and not so easy to understand. We’re here to break down what really matters to the average tech user in 2023.

Much of the tech talk is about artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), mixed reality (MR), and extended reality (XR). It’s a lot to think about when most of us are just trying to keep our jobs and put food on the table.

Most of these concepts, while fascinating when you really dig into the details, are still pretty far off for those of us in the real world. However, there are a few areas of augmented reality that are actually impacting our lives right now and will continue to grow this year.

Virtual reality is the hottest topic of conversation, with Oculus headsets popping up on everyone from kids to grandparents, swinging wildly through the air to battle virtual villains. (If you haven’t played Beat Saber yet, chances are someone you know not only does, but is obsessed with it.)