Do you know what the definitions are for augmented reality vs. virtual reality? The answer may lie in the newest rage sweeping the nation — Pokemon GO. In fact, some of you are probably playing it.
Pokémon GO has become all the rage within the past week, as Nintendo has drawn on one of its original game ideas from 1996 and meshed it with 2016 technology. The game has boosted Nintendo’s market value by $9 billion in just a few days!
The game allows you to use your smartphone camera and GPS to capture virtual pokémon in real world locations. Once captured, you can use your pokémon to battle other users. The key feature that makes this game so popular is the idea of augmented reality. What exactly is augmented reality? And what makes it different from virtual reality? Let’s find out.
Augmented reality defined.
Augmented reality brings the world of the game into the real world. In a broader context, augmented reality adds digital images to a person’s real world through their camera. It allows the users of games to interact with their actual surroundings, while at the same time taking part in their game. In other words, it augments or adds to reality.
Microsoft is also harnessing this technology in a headset that is yet to be released called HoloLens. The headset will essentially allow you to interact with holograms in the real world. Thus, augmented reality enhances your perception of the real world.
There are plenty of apps harnessing this technology, especially navigation apps such as myNav, which enables you to tag a location that you want to return to. There are even augmented reality apps that allow you to simulate redecorating a room to make the process more convenient.
While most apps using augmented reality pose no threat to people, the competitive nature of Pokémon GO is leading some people to make questionable decisions. The game has already been used to lure people into robberies and it’s also leading people into dangerous situations, such as trying to capture pokémon on the side of the highway and above subway platforms. Thus, the real danger with augmented reality comes when our desires for something in the augmented world trump our sense of reality.
Virtual reality defined.
Unlike augmented reality, virtual reality does not incorporate the real world at all. It entirely replaces the real world with a simulated one. It essentially simulates a user’s physical presence within this new simulated environment, allowing for users to interact and artificially create a sensory experience.
Virtual realities can be displayed on a computer screen or on a virtual reality headset. Companies such as HTC, Google, Samsung, and Sony have all either released or announced the release for their own virtual reality headsets. Some of the headsets are entirely independent of a smartphone, while others require you to strap in your smartphone as the display screen. This second option is emerging as a more cost effective way to experience virtual reality.
The bottom line.
Virtual reality and augmented reality are often confused. The fact is, they’re each a distinct and separate animal. That said, they’re both important and look as though they’re here to stay, so as a marketer, it’s important to keep them on your radar screens.
About the Author: Trevor Cefalu is a writer and analyst for the 60 Second Marketer.