What’s the Story with VR and AR?

If there is one thing weamp8217ve learned from the Convergence Culture it is that Virtually Reality VR and Augmented Reality AR may someday be contained in the same headset For now though they are separate and they will always be very different In fact VR should not be confused with AR even though it is So a few words of explanation for those who do not understand as I did not until recentlyVR is the total disruption of personal reality a new reality is instead created through computer generated or translated images inside of a headset think movies and videogames AR maintains the usersamp8217 actual reality while overlaying or superimposing information about what the user is seeing eg the first iteration of Google Glass A simple comparisonamp160 VR is being inside of something else with no visibility as to your actual reality or surroundings while AR is viewing things in the real world with information about objects overlaid AR will have to interact and communicate with your surroundings while with VR you could walk off a cliff without knowing That39s me at right experimenting with aamp160Google Cardboard VR set at CDX in Half Moon Bay CAamp160If youamp8217ve been following the VR developments captivating the country then you know that big players are getting involved Facebook with its purchase of Oculus Rift for 2 billion in 2014 sparked excitement for the nextgeneration of VR The first Oculus Rift releases are now in the hands of consumers Iif you want to buy one now figure on a minimum 3month leadtime Companies like Samsung Apple HTC Vive Microsoft and PlayStation are also following suit with their own acquisitions and creations not to mention all of the startups joining the field The latest addition to the game is Intel with their investment already in the 300500 million rangeYou can expect VR technology first to change our experiences with video games and movies these devices are already on their way to a retailer or theater near you However like a lot of new tech you should figure out a way to experiment with rather than buy one of these doodads It seems clear from this vantage point that weamp8217ll have to get to V 30 or so before this tech is fully ready For prime time consumption the video application of VR like Facebookamp8217s 360 view is the slice that will need to grow if there is going to be a mainstream applicationamp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160As far as AR goes you probably remember Google Glass Some called it a debacle but in fact it was just an early version of what AR could be Like V 10 of any tech it was a flawed product and more of a beta than an actual release If you saw this yearamp8217s Super Bowl ad for Microsoftamp8217s HoloLens then you can easily see the draw of AR Full AR capabilities are still a long ways off though Not only will the technologies within the device need to get better but so will the technologies in your environment Remember AR needs to be able to interact with your surroundingsFrom GPS mastering your location in dense urban environments to sensor and signal identification ARamp8217s success depends on a relay of information This information onboarding process hasnamp8217t yet been fully realized or implemented Eventually though whether it is identifying items in stores such as whatamp8217s on sale or whatamp8217s new or understanding the ingredients and materials in something without actually picking it up AR will soon accompany us in our exploration of the world Just like with search engines the next generation of consumers will not be able to imagine a world without ARPast all of their hype and potential one thing is for sure VR and AR applications are definitely closer to being a amp8220realityamp8221 this time around instead of the word only existing in their name Iamp8217ll give them a shot Will youImage at top courtesy of Corbis The opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillageMyersBizNet management or associated bloggers

Click to Make Your 2025 Contribution to Support the MediaVillage Education Foundation

What’s the Story with VR and AR?

Author

Publish date

Channel

David Smith

"About That with Carl Mayer:" Alaina Donnellon (Episode 6) - By Carl Mayer

More Videos:

Click to Make Your 2025 Contribution to Support the MediaVillage Education Foundation

What’s the Story with VR and AR?

Enjoying This Commentary? There's More to Love

David Smith

"About That with Carl Mayer:" Alaina Donnellon (Episode 6) - By Carl Mayer

The payment was successful

Cookies