Now that virtual reality headsets are becoming increasingly popular for the video game industry, after years of being relegated to fully business functions, it's time to talk about the two types of realities that exist. We are not talking about metaphysical, existential, or philosophical terrain. We talk about augmented reality and virtual reality, and the difference between them.
If you're even remotely tech-savvy, you probably already know the basic difference and even some of the details, but we're writing this so you can share it with friends and family who don't understand the difference. Now, let's explain clearly and concisely what each one is, why they're being promoted, and their relationship to metaverse projects.
Table of Contents
What is virtual reality?
Virtual reality is a concept based on the fact that the user enters a virtual world with the help of headphones that block his vision and hearing, and through images in the helmets and sounds in the headphones, they give the user the sensation of that he has been transported to another world. It doesn't have to be a fantasy place, just a digitally generated space, 360 degrees in all directions, to give the feeling of being somewhere different.
History of Virtual Reality
Virtual reality is a concept that goes back decades, and if we are a bit generous, in 1838 when stereoscopes showed two images taken by two parallel cameras so that when placed in a certain position on a support, it gave the sensation of being in a distant area, usually in forests or at waterfalls, to be sold to city people as the feeling of being in places they have never been.
In 1969, Ivan Sutherland had already begun to take the first steps of virtual reality as envisioned by scientists of the last century. He created a helmet connected to a ceiling-mounted system called the "Sword of Damocles" that allowed the user to view a virtual environment from different angles. The image was simply a wireframe, but the possibilities of showing the user a virtual world were already evident.
In 1985, NASA developed motorcycle helmets with virtual reality capabilities, intending them to be used to control robotic vehicles. Their vision was that virtual reality would become a kind of virtual workstation and a three-dimensional data space.
A game developer named Jaron Lanier had invested a lot of money founding VPL (Virtual Programming Languages). With that company, he released virtual reality products like the DataGlove and the EYEphone. the company produced small virtual worlds, but peripherals then cost $8.000 and required a PC that once cost $200.000.
When VPL's computers were powerful enough for this, they created full-body tracking suits to display the movements of the avatars. Users were strapped into bracelets and anklets so their movements could be tracked and reflected in programs.
Reality has been driven by video games
In the 90s, Nintendo and Sega explored the possibilities of consumer-facing virtual reality. Sega's project was ultimately canceled. Nintendo's Virtual Boy could hardly be called virtual reality , as it didn't track user head movements and simply used two projectors to display images on a screen in front of each user's eye.
In 1991, Dr. Jonathan Waldern had some success with his Virtuality multiplayer arcade system. It was a system where players could shoot each other in an arena to simulate a boxing match. It managed to stay in the market for most of the 1990s thanks to novelties and an arcade scene, which then provided an opportunity for millions of people to experience experiences that they couldn't replicate at home due to the lower power of the machines. consoles, or the large peripherals or complicated assemblies that were used in one or two games.
On the subject of arcade games, the arcade versions of Beach Head 2000, Beach Head 2002 and Beach Head Desert War, which were PC ports, stood out as precursors of the Virtual Reality idea. They were developed by a Virtual Reality game development company.
In the case of home use, the Oculus Quest, HTC Vive , and Valve Index demonstrated how Virtual Reality could reach gamers' homes. One of the biggest bets on this was PlayStation VR, which required a PS4 console and separate headsets for a price close to €800, as an accessible version of Virtual Reality. Meanwhile, Microsoft announced what was then called Project Scorpio, which months later would be known as the Xbox One X, but it never had any Virtual Reality games or accessories.
Today, virtual reality video games are seen as the logical next generation for new experiences. However, they require high-end equipment to deliver two high-quality image streams at a sufficient frame rate, in addition to the VR headset itself and enough space to avoid collisions with objects in the " real world ." This is why, outside of the upper classes, virtual reality remains available only at consumer trade shows and entertainment centers as specialized recreational spaces.
Uses of Virtual Reality outside of video games
One successful application was in training simulations to replace on-the-job learning, where mistakes can otherwise be dangerous or prohibitively expensive. They have been used for training in surgery, and have also been tried in virtual reality immersion therapies with experiences designed to help users overcome their fear of flying through 3D virtual modeling.
Virtual Reality problems to reach the mass market
Since the eighties, it has been said that once costs are lowered, it becomes more intuitive and there is software for it, among other factors, Virtual Reality will be widely adopted. but there are many factors that perhaps Virtual Reality will never be able to overcome and will always remain something more of a luxury than a hobby.
- It will always be expensive for the consumer: With the recent announcement of the Meta Quest 3, the Virtual Reality headset from Meta that does not require a PC for base applications, but may require connecting to a PC for larger experiences; the Meta Quest 299 costs $2. It's not a bad price, but it's a price for a system exclusively dedicated to entertainment. YU those are the options that a priori are cheaper. PSVR2 costs about 500 euros with a separate PS5; and Valve Index costs $799 for a deck with headset and controllers, not the full game, and to play Half-Life Alyx you need a PC with 12 GB of RAM and a 6 GB graphics card, thanks to the fact that it uses a Modified version of the Source engine, known for not asking for a lot of resources.
- The necessary space is not accessible to the population: Virtual reality in all its glory requires having enough free space available on a regular basis to play without crashing into anything. In an era of economic crisis and rental prices and the difficulties in getting a stable home, asking for free space to move around in Virtual Reality is for the majority of the population, something impossible. Years ago plans were made to make houses with "metaverse rooms", which involve a room dedicated to Virtual Reality, and nothing else. A space that will not be used to house anything other than Virtual Reality. And we are talking about a house, so it is a decision that will haunt him for years.
- Sanitation that makes it difficult to share: One factor that few people take into account is that Virtual Reality headsets are prone to spreading eye infections. For this reason, in demonstrations at consumer fairs such as the E3 and Madrid Games Week, between users there was always a time when the hostesses have to clean it for health reasons. This applied to consumers would imply that if a family wants to have their own equipment, they will have to clean it thoroughly so that an infection such as conjunctivitis does not spread among the family.
- People do not like to be isolated all the time: We already saw it during the Covid-19 pandemic, the biggest breeding ground to see how much people can accept fully digital relationships. Zoom became especially popular, but people needed more, which is why great interest in board games has been aroused thanks to Board Game Arena, or online role-playing campaign. Anything before a conversation entirely by videoconference and that's it. The idea that Virtual Reality will be our eight-hour office or social hub, with our glasses on all day, has barely taken off as much as Meta has tried to make its Horizon Worlds metaverse accessible with an affordable Meta Quest 2. .
What is augmented reality?
Augmented Reality is when software, be it an application or a game, takes images of real life and performs processes and tasks so that, based on factors, such as the position using GPS, a reference, or more elements, it shows added elements. through the screen. A well-known example that you have surely used is Pokémon Go, which put the Augmented Reality concept in the hands of millions.
What was the first augmented reality game?
When Pokémon GO arrived, many people were experiencing Augmented Reality for the first time, even though Niantic had repurposed all the advancements they made with the game Ingress . Thanks to its success, the Invizimals account made it clear that they were at least ahead of the curve in terms of Augmented Reality, as they were already using it on the PSP, employing a card with a pattern that the game recognized as a reference for distance and relative tilt, given the PSP's limitations.
While it's difficult to define, as it could be a strange Japanese game that didn't come out on consoles, it's safe to say that Pokémon Go isn't the first Augmented Reality game , but it is the most popular of all.
Does Mixed Reality exist?
With the announcement of the Apple Vision Pro, the term "mixed reality glasses" has become more common. This is a way of saying " virtual and augmented reality glasses ," which is what they actually are. The Apple Vision Pro functions as both virtual reality and augmented reality glasses.
However, the concept of "Mixed Reality" doesn't exist because Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality are mutually exclusive. VR involves isolating the user and showing them a different world , while AR involves providing a view of the user's surroundings and placing additional virtual elements on the screen or within the user's field of vision for the purpose of experiences or games.
It is possible that, with technological advances, the so-called Mixed Reality can be achieved. but for now, it is only a way of cutting words when referring to the operation of the Apple Vision Pro.
What do Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality have to do with the metaverse?
Because there's so much interest in being among the first to embrace future technology and reap significant benefits, the use of Augmented and Virtual Reality in the Metaverse has been promoted. Of course, as we explained in our article on metaverses , not all metaverses need to use Virtual Reality. Furthermore, there isn't just one type of metaverse; they are simply social hubs with activities and more. Metaverse concepts already exist in current MMORPGs like World of Warcraft, social simulators like Second Life, and even in games where we have a virtual profile, such as Grand Theft Auto Online.
The idea of metaverses using Virtual Reality is strongly supported by Meta, the developers of the Meta Quest VR headset, which aims to be an accessible option within a prohibitively expensive format . Their Horizon Worlds metaverse is presented as a social hub largely supported by Virtual Reality. However, VR Chat has already demonstrated that Virtual Reality is not essential for metaverses.
What do Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality have to do with NFTs?
In the case of Virtual Reality, NFTs were closely tied to it by the metaverses, who insisted on buying, selling, and renting virtual properties from metaverse virtual spaces in the form of NFTs. There have been numerous promises regarding the use of NFTs in VR metaverses, some of them with more success. But this is talking more about metaverses than about Virtual Reality.
Regarding Augmented Reality, it has had a lot of interest from NFT firms. Many of his ideas were based on being able to buy digital clothes and accessories that can be seen through Augmented Reality glasses, and that could be limited clothes that you could trade. This idea would be supported by Augmented Reality applications. But for that they would have to have a community that invests heavily in it, and have the tracking and detection technology advanced enough, and that those applications are constantly being used by enough users for those NFTs in Augmented Reality apps to have an effect.