Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality are in the same class of technology called Mixed Reality. Breaking them down personally, augmented reality is content intermixed with real-world items. On the other hand, virtual reality renders the entire field of view. There has been an overgrowing debate on whether Augmented Reality has already beaten Virtual Reality. Today, our experts have gone deep to address the issue. To understand the two forms of technology, we will focus on Facebook with Oculus and Microsoft with HoloLens for Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality, respectively.
Price vs. Quality
Several times, the technology industry has been faulted for making new product releases that do not meet the bare minimum. The price point is always the biggest priority, not considering what the technology will offer, hence delivering the lowest expected outcome. For instance, the first virtual reality headsets launched by Facebook and HTC, Oculus and Vive, respectively, right from the word go, the screen door effect was made for both the expensive headsets, which quite frankly, did not have the content to safeguard sales.
However, this was not the case with Microsoft HoloLens, which took an entirely different approach. The renowned tech company worked closely with the Lawrence Livermore labs as part of the Mars Exploration Effort. The result was awesome as researchers, with the aid of Mars Rover data and video, easily explored Mars as if they were right on the planet. For this reason, there was a strong relationship between the hardware specification and the initial product application.
The truth is that the technology is costly for individual consumers, but for organizations and businesses based on remote viewing, it is not an issue. This is because they are much more concerned with technology that provides this service effortlessly with minimal hitches regardless of the price they have to pay. The technology is currently in use in many industries in the global space.
Applications
Virtual Reality is already in many industries, such as online gaming, while techies are still researching how Augmented Reality can be incorporated into some spaces. If VR were to be incorporated into the different games offered on online casinos, it would take the user experience to another level for those who want to play mobile slots and table games from popular providers like EGT and Konami, among other reputable companies. The different slot themes coupled with VR would give players the chance to switch ‘moods’ in all entireties. And this would also come in handy for users who are physically unable to go to a casino but want the atmospheric experience. However, it is different with regard to AR as it is a new technology with not much content published about it.
Consumer vs. Business
For your tech release to be successful, it is advisable that you shift all your focus to large businesses, cooperatives, or industries first. This is because these markets are more concerned with the solutions your technology will provide than with the amount of money they should spend. Could now bring in ordinary consumers after successfully selling the technology to large businesses and industries. This helps develop high-quality initial consumer experiences that aid in the quality preservation of your tech in the long run.
A practical example is the introduction of the PC to the global market. Most people will tell you that their first purchase cost upwards of $8,000 for a humongous device that was slow in performance but useful at the moment. Of course, thanks to tech advancement in the sector, there are now new, improved, and cheaper PCs and laptops.
The main reason why this happened is that Microsoft initially introduced its technology to businesses and was unarguably successful. Facebook, on the other hand, shifted all its focus to consumers. The truth is that all efforts being employed by the company are focused on killing the market. We have even recently seen the resignation of Oculus co-founder Brendan Iribe, leaving Zuckerberg in a tight spot as the focus is on him resigning from the very company he founded.
Content is everything.
The initial business focus is among the greatest tools that help in content development. For instance, HoloLens was already conceptualized, giving both Microsoft and Livermore Labs an easy time when creating the idea. On the other hand, Oculus badly wanted a killer game like PlayStation or Xbox, but the truth is that they lacked ideas for the creation of one.
One of the virtual reality efforts worth mentioning is the Sony PlayStation VR. On the other hand, Microsoft Xbox has not gone this way as they may want higher quality.
The focus on business offerings and providing quality services makes Augmented Reality beat Virtual Reality.
