Virtual Reality vs. Augmented Reality: Which Will Prevail?

The next evolution of the internet is Metaverse it is a virtual technology where people imagine their lives in a way they could not imagine physically. The heart of Metaverse lies in two key technologies: augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). Both of these technologies have some similarities but they work differently as they have differences in their functions and also have a different user experience. Here the question that remains to be in discussion is which of the technologies will prevail. In this article, we will study what is this mixed reality and also we will explore the differences between virtual reality and augmented reality.

What Is Augmented Reality?

AR has many uses in the field of metaverse and has already found many use cases in the Metaverse, specifically in gaming, education, and other related retail sectors. In the field of gaming augmented reality is used to create real and indulging experiences for users it creates these expressions and experiences by combining both the digital and physical worlds. As you must have experienced nowadays famous games are a blend of both the digital and physical world as they involve both these digital and physical characters which makes the experience so exciting and unique kids today are playing games on their phones but are using real-world locations that make me sad that why do I belong to that hide and seek thing. I mean just look at what these amazing technologies are doing and taking the world to the next level it would be ok if it was only for the games but you know what this car is helping students to make their learning experience better just wondering what a blessing technology is for us. Also, it is used to provide an amazing online shopping experience and allow the users to visualize the products in their relative surroundings. With its ability to deliver an amazing experience it is also expected that it will do best in the retail market it can be the next big thing that will be wanted by everyone like media, channels, and other marketing industries. It is also making its way into the travel industry.

What is virtual reality?

VR is the abbreviation used for virtual reality it gives users a better and more indulging experience than AR however you can use the elements of AR with VR to create a better experience. While AR is the combination of the digital and physical world VR is an experience in which you go to another world that has no similarity or connection with the digital world.VR stands for virtual reality and is a far more immersive experience than AR, although elements of AR can be used with VR to create a full virtual experience. While AR projects digital images onto your surroundings, VR replaces your surroundings completely and throws you into another world. The inventions of VR are VR headsets, PlayStation VR, VR glasses, and PS4 VR. This reality technology is heavily used in video gaming. It takes you into the world of the digital environment and gives you a unique experience of moving around that imaginary world it creates for you. The Oculus VR headset will be one of the best VR headsets in 2022.

Mixed reality

Now here the question is what is this term mixed reality? It is the technology that combines the features of both augmented and virtual reality. It does so to give users a more enhanced experience in mixed reality the objects of virtual reality combine with the features of the real world within no time. Devices such as headsets, glasses, or screens are used in mixed reality for showing virtual objects to the real world. These objects give a very interesting layout by interacting with real-world and virtual-reality objects. The example of a mixed reality can be defined as a type of game in which its players can interact with the virtual characters and the natural world as well. They are also used to create imaginary products to get an idea of the real market impact related to it.

What are the differences between augmented reality and virtual reality?

Both of these technologies are very vast and have a wider scope. They have changed the views of people and have contributed too many changes prevailing around us. Let’s see how they are different from each other.

• Augmented reality has factors of digital and visual information but virtual reality is based upon a completely artificial environment.
• It is more accessible as mainly mobile phones are used as devices. Virtual reality uses devices such as VR glasses and headsets.
• Augmented reality is of low cost so we don’t need huge expenses to be done but in virtual reality, the cost is very high so it needs a lot of investment.
• Examples of augmented reality are advertising, marketing, gaming, education, etc. Examples of virtual reality are video games and other types of entertainment experiences.
• Augmented reality allows us to share the experience with others within a particular place. Virtual reality doesn’t allow us to share any experience.
• Augmented reality is comfortable to use so we can use it for longer periods but virtual reality is not comforting and can cause eye dizziness in long-term usage.
• Augmented reality has the essence of the natural world. Virtual reality gives you a unique and imaginary experience.
• Augmented reality offers a partial level of immersion as virtual reality is imaginary.

Advantages of augmented reality

Here are some of the advantages of augmented reality:

• It has a great interactive nature and manages the operation in a real environment.
• It reduces the distance between the virtual and real world.
• It creates a better experience of interacting with the real world.
• It is helpful in medical industries.
• It is user-friendly and helps applications.
• It reduces the cost by analyzing the situation and predicting their successful future so that you can decide whether to implement them in the real world or not.
• It is also helpful in military operations during critical situations.

Disadvantages of augmented reality

Some of the disadvantages of augmented reality are;

• The development of AR technology-based products is costly and high maintenance.
• AR-based applications lack privacy
• People generally miss important or meaningful moments of their lives because of AR.
• It also has a low performance which is one of its concerns.
• You have to learn the basics of using AR devices.

Advantages of virtual reality

Here are some of the advantages of virtual reality

• It gives you a real impression of an imaginary world.
• Virtual Reality is very useful in the training processes. It makes things look easy to achieve.
• It has gained popularity in the field of entertainment and gaming industry.
• One of the advantages of virtual reality is that you forget your weaknesses and disabilities as you go into an imaginary world.
• VR is cost-friendly as you can experience a kind of short travel trip through it.

Disadvantages of virtual reality

Some of the disadvantages of virtual reality are:

• Devices used for virtual reality are costly.
• It gives you a feeling of restlessness sometimes. When you use VR for a long time it can harm your vision and can cause motion sickness.
• It is very addictive sometimes you get so involved in it like if you want to achieve some score in your game or you want to be a pro or you want to reach some level of the game you seek time for your VR which sometimes takes you away from your social surroundings and the real word. So isolating yourself from the imaginary world is not a good choice.
• One of the disadvantages of virtual reality is that its new inventions and releases require special skills so it does not have a wide variety of new experiences to offer.

Conclusion

It is difficult indeed to state which of the technologies is better or has a wider scope to prevail. As both have different potentials and benefits in the industry. If you want to examine which is better than another you will have no clear result and none of them can be claimed as a winner. Both of them are king of their qualities and have gained popularity in terms of investments and their widespread adoption. AR is best at what it does it has many applications used commercially designed based on real-world characteristics and technology. While on the other hand, VR serves entertainment purposes both of the technologies in the current era are spot on.   We cannot ignore anyone hence it is difficult to make a statement about any of them.