Virtual reality has been around for decades, so why hasn’t there been widespread adoption of it? If you were a kid in the 1980's you probably remember Vritual Boy — that Gameboy edition that sat on the tabletop with VR glasses you looked into to play things like Super Mario Brothers. It was super cool but it was also bulky, expensive, and gave some people headaches. Flash forward to the virtual reality of today and not much has changed. VR has great entertainment capabilities and VR gaming is super fun, but headsets are still bulky and often expensive and many users report motion sickness. What consumers are looking for these days is a seamless experience between their realities and the information or applications they are wanting to use. This is where augmented reality comes in.
In augmented reality applications the world becomes your screen. Sometimes that may mean using your phone for map overlays of real time video of your actual surroundings or getting additional information about products while you are in a store. More recent technology has brought collaborative tools to the table top, which means users can play games or conduct business in a less isolating manner than with virtual reality.
Learn more about augmented reality un-technology from this infographic.