Virtual reality and augmented reality: similarities and differences
Posted: Tue Dec 03, 2024 7:20 am
There is a lot of talk these days about virtual reality and augmented reality . But do you know the main similarities and differences between them, and the main products in this promising market?
Although both technologies have as a basic characteristic the alteration of the sensory perception of our organs, mainly vision and hearing, the difference between them lies in the mediation, in the way in which this experience occurs.
Virtual reality (VR) devices, through headsets , cover a large part of the face, preventing external visual and auditory stimuli from being perceived, providing an experience of total immersion in a mediated world. In short, the external world is completely replaced by the virtual world.
In augmented reality (AR) devices, the principle is a little different, as what occurs is a juxtaposition, a mix of stimuli from the real world and the virtual world.
There is no full immersion in another environment, but rather the coexistence of both worlds. Examples include smart glasses, which have lenses that allow you to perceive the real environment and simultaneously project virtual images.
Another example of AR, this one more well-known and widespread, is the game Pokemon Go, launched in 2016, which became a real craze by allowing, through the cell phone screen, the mixing of the real and the virtual.
This brave new world, which is still timidly emerging, will certainly chief vp operations email lists bring about a series of changes in the way we relate to one another, and will revolutionize not only entertainment, but also several other areas of human knowledge, such as medicine, for example.
In this sense, Mark Metry, founder of an agency that works in the commercialization of innovative AR and VR products developed by startups, made 5 interesting predictions about the future of this market:
1 – Popularization of VR headsets
Although price is still the main factor preventing the proliferation and capillarity of VR headsets , the trend is that with the mass production this technology will gain new followers.
Furthermore, new VR devices are betting on autonomous processors, which do not depend on pairing with a powerful computer or smartphone, which reduces costs.
A good example is Facebook 's Go Glasses , which tend to be sold at an affordable price and promises to open many doors.
Also noteworthy is the Mi VR, from the Chinese company Xiaomi, which has basically the same design and processor as the model developed by Facebook, with a very similar sales price, around two hundred dollars.
2 – The growth of AR will be a real catalyst for virtual reality
Augmented reality is a sibling of the virtual reality industry, born and bred together. Although statistics indicate that by 2023, augmented reality will be much larger than virtual reality, VR-based technologies are also expected to experience substantial growth.
There are those who consider that the growth of VR comes up against some limitations, such as its use in public environments, which would make it impossible to carry out “parallel” activities in the real world, when immersed in the virtual environment.
And it's really hard to imagine someone using a headset in the middle of a busy street in São Paulo, behind the wheel of a car, etc.
However, for Mark Metry, this is a narrow view of the use of Virtual Reality, since there are currently technologies that mediate between VR and AR, the so-called Mixed or hybrid Reality, mixing elements of immersion in the virtual environment with the possibility of interaction with the real environment.
For him, the trend is for VR to leave the restricted niches it currently finds itself in and gain space in the mainstream, as it will be able to provide much more intense, complex and interactive experiences.
One of the expert's bets is the device being developed by the startup Magic Leap, which should be made available to developers later this year, and which promises to fully combine both AR and VR.
Although both technologies have as a basic characteristic the alteration of the sensory perception of our organs, mainly vision and hearing, the difference between them lies in the mediation, in the way in which this experience occurs.
Virtual reality (VR) devices, through headsets , cover a large part of the face, preventing external visual and auditory stimuli from being perceived, providing an experience of total immersion in a mediated world. In short, the external world is completely replaced by the virtual world.
In augmented reality (AR) devices, the principle is a little different, as what occurs is a juxtaposition, a mix of stimuli from the real world and the virtual world.
There is no full immersion in another environment, but rather the coexistence of both worlds. Examples include smart glasses, which have lenses that allow you to perceive the real environment and simultaneously project virtual images.
Another example of AR, this one more well-known and widespread, is the game Pokemon Go, launched in 2016, which became a real craze by allowing, through the cell phone screen, the mixing of the real and the virtual.
This brave new world, which is still timidly emerging, will certainly chief vp operations email lists bring about a series of changes in the way we relate to one another, and will revolutionize not only entertainment, but also several other areas of human knowledge, such as medicine, for example.
In this sense, Mark Metry, founder of an agency that works in the commercialization of innovative AR and VR products developed by startups, made 5 interesting predictions about the future of this market:
1 – Popularization of VR headsets
Although price is still the main factor preventing the proliferation and capillarity of VR headsets , the trend is that with the mass production this technology will gain new followers.
Furthermore, new VR devices are betting on autonomous processors, which do not depend on pairing with a powerful computer or smartphone, which reduces costs.
A good example is Facebook 's Go Glasses , which tend to be sold at an affordable price and promises to open many doors.
Also noteworthy is the Mi VR, from the Chinese company Xiaomi, which has basically the same design and processor as the model developed by Facebook, with a very similar sales price, around two hundred dollars.
2 – The growth of AR will be a real catalyst for virtual reality
Augmented reality is a sibling of the virtual reality industry, born and bred together. Although statistics indicate that by 2023, augmented reality will be much larger than virtual reality, VR-based technologies are also expected to experience substantial growth.
There are those who consider that the growth of VR comes up against some limitations, such as its use in public environments, which would make it impossible to carry out “parallel” activities in the real world, when immersed in the virtual environment.
And it's really hard to imagine someone using a headset in the middle of a busy street in São Paulo, behind the wheel of a car, etc.
However, for Mark Metry, this is a narrow view of the use of Virtual Reality, since there are currently technologies that mediate between VR and AR, the so-called Mixed or hybrid Reality, mixing elements of immersion in the virtual environment with the possibility of interaction with the real environment.
For him, the trend is for VR to leave the restricted niches it currently finds itself in and gain space in the mainstream, as it will be able to provide much more intense, complex and interactive experiences.
One of the expert's bets is the device being developed by the startup Magic Leap, which should be made available to developers later this year, and which promises to fully combine both AR and VR.