Why AR Will Be Much Bigger Than VR
Virtual reality is a groundbreaking technology that has received plenty of attention in mainstream media. However, its twin technology augmented reality has had less attention, and could be mistaken for a technology that trails in the shadow of VR.
But nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, AR is likely to become exponentially bigger than VR. And here’s why:
Big Software Companies Are More Than Just Interested
Say the name of any of the biggest software companies and it’s likely they’ve shown significant interest in AR, and even plans to shift their focus from VR to AR.
Apple’s CEO Tim Cook said in 2016 already that “augmented reality is the larger of the two, probably by far.” Since then, Apple has released ARKit, a software development kit where anyone with a relatively new iOS device can create AR apps for the iPhone and iPad. Additionally, there are rumours floating around that Apple will release an AR headset somewhere in 2020.
Google, of course, has its own AR software development kit too. It’s called ARCore and it shows the company’s continued dedication to AR, after its failed Google Glass project back in 2013.
And even Facebook-owned company Oculus is in on the action, with its Chief Scientist Michael Abrash saying in 2017 that AR glasses are what people really want, not VR. A bold statement to make for a company whose only products are VR headsets.
Microsoft has left VR largely untouched, but has made major bets on AR with the development of the HoloLens, considered one of the best AR glasses currently available. The glasses have found a niche in the business world, and are being used by companies such as NASA, Volvo, and many others to improve the efficiency of their workforce.
And as a final indicator of the growing interest in AR, the company Magic Leap received a staggering 2.3 billion dollars in funding far before the release of their “Magic Leap One” product. Suffice to say that people are betting money on AR being a disruptive new technology.
AR Is Already Here And We’ve Already Accepted It
Remember the biggest hype of 2016? That’s right, Pokemon Go (get out if you said Brexit or Trump). Out of nowhere, the game became incredibly popular, and public places were populated with people looking through their phones for Pokemon to spawn. It was a worldwide phenomenon, and it was AR.
You might not have realised it, but overlaying digital images onto the real world is exactly what AR is. Snapchat does it too with some of its filters, where you can place a little cannon on your desk or a dancing devil with the face of your mother-in-law.
So contrary to VR, AR doesn’t require the acceptance of a whole new category of hardware, because we can use the hardware that everyone’s already accepted: the smartphone. During Facebook’s 2017 F8 developers conference, Mark Zuckerberg said that he wants to make the camera the first mainstream AR platform.
Compare this to having to buy an entirely new piece of hardware for VR. Best case scenario, it’s a mobile VR kit that you only need a VR-enabled phone for. But to have the best VR experience, you’ll need a VR headset and a PC that’s fast enough to run VR. And ideally controllers and headphones too. That’s something only those really dedicated to VR would buy.
AR Makes More Sense Intuitively
Whether we will choose AR or VR ultimately boils down to what’s quite a philosophical question. Do we prefer to augment our current reality and make it more useful, or do we prefer to create an entirely new world that’s only limited by our imagination?
Doomsayers like to say we’ll all eventually end up strapped to a VR headset and lose connection with the real world, but intuitively, it seems more plausible that we’ll adjust the reality we live in instead of creating entirely new ones.
And who really believes VR could entirely replace something like travel? Looking over the Grand Canyon and seeing useful information about it through your AR glasses seems a more likely scenario than being holed up at home looking over the Canyon in VR, even if it’s a fully immersive experience. And will a VR handshake ever fully replace a real handshake, or real eye contact? Doubtful.
But This Being Said…
VR will likely have its place wherever full immersion improves a certain experience, for example in gaming or training and education. The use cases of AR seem much wider, with it possibly being used wherever digital information can make the real world more useful.
Later down the line, the reality is likely going to be a mix of both VR and AR, with standard AR glasses that will have the possibility to turn into full and immersive VR goggles too.
The transition will likely go from AR through your phone’s camera to AR glasses that interact with the real world (already called “mixed reality”) to AR/VR glasses that either add to the world or shut it out for an entirely new one.
