Companies like Google have been pushing the resurgence of virtual reality for the past few years. With Google it started with Google Cardboard and evolved into Daydream. And with HTC on board with Vive, Microsoft having Oculus Rift, and Playstation VR, companies have been putting some money behind the tech. The challenge is bridging quality with an affordable price, while improving the resolution to avoid motion sickness.
Apple chose to go the route of augmented reality and (as of now) it looks like they chose right. With augmented reality people can experience it without the motion sickness or extra expensive hardware. Apple and (now) Google have pushed the tech through devices customers already own. Chances are if you own a newer iPhone or Google Pixel device (Pixel 2 and Pixel 2XL) you have had the opportunity to play with augmented reality. The tech is not only useful but I can see it being a staple for production used by many professionals in the future. To be able to get information such as measurements, nutrition, facts, and more just by pointing your phone camera at an item can help people with their day to day lives.
Is this going to be a VR or an AR world?
I say VR will stick around but AR will dominate. Until we can improve the hardware so users can spend more than 20 mins in a headset, the number of adopters will still be few. Don’t get me wrong VR is cool to play around with. To be able to be in a museum, theater, or another country all from your couch is cool. Problem is that after 20 minutes most people go from cool to warm and uncomfortable. Thanks to headaches and the heat from the phone adding to the discomfort, people are not in a rush to grab the headset.
But with AR it’s as simple as breaking out your phone camera, something the masses are already use to doing. Carpenters can use AR for measurements, kids can turn their toys into worlds, and shoppers can gather quick information, all without having to put on a headset. And as more developers continue to get on board more uses will be made with AR. So I am going with AR for the win.
What are your thoughts?
