There are significant differences between VR, AR, and MR. However, technology is evolving at a rapid pace and the lines between these can often get blurred. While people have long been familiar with the concept of virtual reality, it is just one part of the virtuality continuum. Some of the newer entrants, including augmented reality and mixed reality, have tremendous potential to create impact access industries and are, to an extent, already demonstrating this.
Together, all three of these technologies are collectively referred to as Extended Reality (XR). As a whole, the XR market is projected to be worth over $100 billion by 2026. While XR is a convenient umbrella term for all immersive technologies, it’s worth understanding the differences between VR, AR, and MR to better leverage their individual strengths and unique applications.
What Is AR?
Augmented reality technology allows you to infuse computer-generated elements into real life. Typically, it involves superimposing digitally created images or videos onto a real background to create an interactive experience. However, it can also combine multi-sensory stimuli, including visual, auditory, olfactory, somatosensory, and haptic.
AR is increasingly being adopted by companies developing metaverse solutions that allow users to explore and interact with other users, virtual objects, and virtual locations. It is also at the forefront of helping developers derive smart, accessible insights to power real-world applications, which is an important difference between AR and VR.
Examples of AR
Businesses and organizations can use augmented reality to promote products and services, collect unique user data, and create novel experiences to improve immersion and engagement for audiences. Here are some of popular use cases for AR technology:
- Retail companies can enhance consumer shopping by allowing people to visualize what products might look like in different environments, such as furniture in a customer’s home.
- AR can improve manufacturing and warehouse processes by displaying useful information on smart glasses, such as instruction manuals and routing pathways.
- AR is widely used in sports to improve fan experiences. For example, AR smart glasses can display player and game analyses for a person while they’re at the stadium watching the match live.
What Is VR?
Virtual reality is perhaps the most well-known of the three technologies. It is also the only one that fully immerses — visually speaking — a user in the digital environment. This is the biggest difference between VR and AR.
VR can create fully interactive, 3D virtual worlds that are often an exact replica of the real-world environment they’re trying to emulate. Users can interact with virtual objects either by clicking a mouse, using a joystick, or via wearable devices, such as headsets and special gloves.
Examples of VR
The scale of its application is another difference between VR and AR. The former is now instrumental for companies in a wide range of industries to help improve stakeholder experiences and process outcomes.
- The most visible example of VR is perhaps with entertainment companies, such as movie and video game studios. They can seamlessly infuse VR into their content to heighten engagement and enjoyment for their audiences.
- VR has had a transformative impact on training for high-risk industries. The technology can be used to virtually train personnel in combat, law enforcement, firefighting, heavy manufacturing, and more. This provides users a safe space to learn, while also improving the pace and quality of learning delivered.
- Healthcare is increasingly a key application for VR. It is very useful for learning purposes, but can also be helpful for exposure therapy for patients with PTSD and neurological disorders.
What Is MR?
Mixed reality can be considered a heightened form of augmented reality. It splits the difference between VR and AR by allowing you to interact with virtual objects and information without fully immersing your visual senses. Typically, MR synchronizes with a specific part of a user’s environment, such as protecting a virtual keyboard on a desk that the user can then type on.
Examples of MR
MR enhances the interactivity available via AR technology. This increases the kind and number of use cases available for MR technology.
- As with other immersive technologies, mixed reality is popular in gaming, allowing players to interact with digital objects in a physical environment and using that to provide exciting experiences.
- By wearing an MR headset, a technician can view a holographic image of, say, a propulsion engine and take it apart to understand how it works.
- MR has proven a game changer for educational applications for all kinds of students. Med students and doctors, for example, can use MR holograms to practice various procedures.
A good way to understand the differences between VR, AR, and MR is to map them along a spectrum of immersion. This is a theoretical framework where AR would be situated at the low end, signifying minimal immersion and VR at the opposite end. MR would be situated somewhere in the middle.
Cutting-Edge XR Software from King Crow Studios
King Crow Studios is a trusted industry leader when it comes to extended reality applications. We’re the preferred partner for some of the nation’s leading enterprises and government departments for custom XR training programs.
Reach out to us to explore the differences between VR, AR, and MR technologies and determine the best fit for your application. Follow our blog to learn more about AR vs VR vs MR.