The Current State of Virtual and Augmented Reality
Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) have some similar core technologies but differ in a number of ways. It is possible that these differences contributed to its current state of technological maturity.
Neither technology has advanced far enough to be considered “mature,” but VR has made huge strides over the past few years. VR has seen the release of a large number of headsets for mass consumption, from low-cost devices powered by users’ mobile devices to high-end headsets that require a large amount of external computing power. VR has reached a convenient consumer installation base, consumer VR software is easy to obtain, and we are fast approaching what could be considered the second generation of consumer-based VR headsets.
On the other hand, augmented reality is still a fairly new technology. AR headsets exist, but they are all fairly expensive, limited in number, and generally focus on the release for developers or enterprises rather than mass consumption. The form factor for VR seems to be set in general, but it’s not quite how you’ll experience augmented reality yet.
AR has a unique option: Apple and Google have released technologies (ARKit and ARCore, respectively) that allow consumers to experience smaller AR experiences on mobile devices. These technologies allow users to view the real world through the cameras of their mobile devices and augment the videos of those cameras with digital stereoscopic images. Device limitations such as a small video window and having to hold the device make mobile-based augmented reality less than an ideal experience, but it is a good introduction for most users of what augmented reality is.