Exploring VR, AR, & Mixed Reality

Virtual reality (VR) creates a completely digital world that replaces your real surroundings. For example, even if you’re at home, wearing a VR headset can transport you to another planet, put you in a fast race car, or even make you feel like you’re in a meeting with coworkers.

While it might not be as advanced as the metaverse concept envisioned by Mark Zuckerberg, VR headsets like the PlayStation VR 2 and Meta Quest 2 can still give you an immersive experience that feels like you’re somewhere entirely different from where you are physically.

Virtual reality headsets come equipped with a built-in screen and special lenses that send a slightly different image to each of your eyes. These headsets also contain various sensors to keep track of how you’re moving your head. Together, these components work to make you feel like you’re inside a three-dimensional world where you can freely look around.

When you move your head, your perspective changes just like it would in real life. This natural movement is a significant improvement compared to early VR attempts like the Virtual Boy, which fell short in this aspect.

One important thing to note is that in virtual reality, you usually rely on hand controllers to move around and interact with virtual objects, especially if you want to go beyond a few steps. This limitation means that virtual reality is primarily used for activities like gaming and watching 3D videos.

Mixed reality, often abbreviated as MR (though not as commonly as VR or AR), occurs when virtual reality (VR) goggles incorporate augmented reality (AR) features. In simple terms, headsets like the Meta Quest 2, Microsoft HoloLens 2, and Apple Vision Pro have forward-facing high-definition cameras that enable them to display the real world on their screens, in addition to extra information.

For instance, the Vision Pro primarily shows your actual surroundings but adds virtual app interfaces. If you prefer, you can adjust a dial to move more into the virtual realm, where your surroundings are replaced by something else, or you can stay mostly in the real world.