From the course: AR Development Techniques 01: Basic Concepts

What is the difference between AR, VR, and MR?

From the course: AR Development Techniques 01: Basic Concepts

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What is the difference between AR, VR, and MR?

- In the last video we talked about augmented reality. In this video we'll talk about the other two immersive technologies, mixed reality and virtual reality. This will help you understand the difference between these three technologies. Augmented reality and mixed reality are somewhat similar. So let me just do a quick recap of augmented reality. In AR, computer generated content is overlaid on a real world environment and it looks great and realistic, but there's a very small problem. This illusion breaks as soon as an actual object comes in front of it in the camera view. Mixed reality on the other hand is a little bit more integrated and responsive to the real world. So as you can see in the video, the virtual 3D cat almost hides behind the bed. In mixed reality, we can also interact with virtual objects as can be seen in the video. The lady in the video is wearing a Microsoft mixed reality device called HoloLens. Even though mixed reality seems a bit more responsive, it comes at a cost. It requires very expensive devices, which have a lot of sensors and trackers to map the environment effectively. Augmented reality, on the other hand, can be experienced just using your mobile phone or tablet, which you already have, and it provides a good enough AR experience. Virtual reality is very different from augmented reality and mixed reality. In AR and MR, virtual objects are placed inside the user's real environment. In case of virtual reality, the user straps a headset around his face, which transports him to an entirely different world, which is a virtual world. You can experience AR using AR compatible mobile or a tablet. You can experience mixed reality using Magic Leap or Microsoft's HoloLens. And you can experience VR using VR headsets made by companies, such as Oculus, HTC Vive, Acer, Lenovo, and Google. So that's all for this video. In the next video we'll see how is AR being used across different industries.

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