Augmented Reality Vs Virtual Reality: Know The Difference

According to Albert Einstein, “Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.”

Though Einstein knew little that he was talking way ahead of his times. The technology around us and our perception towards it is constantly changing around the globe.

Here we are about to discuss how augmented reality and virtual reality are contributing towards that.

Augmented Reality Vs Virtual Reality

Augmented reality and virtual reality tech are responsible for merging our physical world with a digital one.

These two concepts share a lot of common attributes, however, there are a lot of differences they hold too.

What’s the difference between augmented reality and virtual reality?

Augmented reality (AR) layers digital objects on top of your live view of the immediate physical surroundings via the camera on a digital device like a smartphone or tablet.

Contrary to that, Virtual reality (VR) is a completely immersive experience. It collectively transforms your physical surroundings into a digital world via a head-mounted display.

Comparing these two will be similar to comparing peanut butter to Nutella. There is no doubt that both of these are delicious to taste but serve different cravings and purposes.

The choice or preference can, however, entirely depend on the kind of experience you are looking for.

There is no doubt that both of these technologies are very similar, but are not the same. They are together changing the way we see, communicate, and interact with the world.

The two most disruptive and popular technologies are growing and showing users what more new solutions and applications, they can offer.

Known to masses, their differences are still not clear to many. The three differences mentioned ahead might clear some air.

Immersion

The basic difference that stands between these two technologies is the experience of immersion they offer. In virtual reality, you get to experience an entirely computer-generated world. The entire experience is based on an artificial creation and as a result, the user loses contact with the real surrounding.

However, augmented reality works by enhancing reality by adding digital data to it. So, during the AR experience, the user stays connected with its surroundings and does not detach from it. Through this, the users can also be able to interact with the ‘digital objects’ while being in contact with the real world also.

Devices

Another major difference between the two technologies is the devices that are being used to deliver that unique and innovative experience. In VR, a unique set of headsets are used to immerse the user’s vision and hearing into the VR world.

For AR, you can use a variety of devices including the AR headsets, tablets, laptops, smartphones, and similar devices. The user throughout the experience stays connected with the surroundings.

EdTech Application

AR and VR technologies own a lot of growing scope in a lot of industries, especially in education. Though they are applied to different industries, they both hold equal skills to disrupt the traditional methods. Their application as an EdTech is still different from each other.

For example, Virtual Reality can be used to teach students history more engagingly. In addition to this, any theoretical subject can be made more interesting and engaging using this technology. This will also help in increasing and developing their descriptive and analytical skills.

As for the Augmented Reality, practical lessons can be learned more creatively using this. Their advantage of offering the ability to interact with the ‘augmented’ world will enable learners to learn and experience together.

Closing Thoughts

Augmented reality and Virtual reality accomplish two very different things in two extremely different ways. VR swaps reality and takes you in its virtual world. On the other hand, AR adds to the reality. It projects information on the next level of what you have already seen and experienced. These extremely powerful technologies have yet to make their marks with their users.

They can both have great input in how we will be using the computers in the future. Which tech will ace the race is yet to be seen anyways.