MR vs VR: why enter virtual reality when you can bring holograms into your world?
Virtual-reality technology still has years to go before it’s sophisticated enough to be widely adopted. Mixed reality, however, is another immersive technology that’s closer to functional use
Walk up Apliu Street in Sham Shui Po, or around the cramped electronics stalls of Huangbei in Shenzhen, and it’s all about virtual reality. VR glasses – and even cases for them – are in every store. VR looks like the next big thing, but so far it’s being done on the cheap.
For now, VR is all about smartphones; insert one in the front of a big, clunky, strap-on headset such as Samsung Gear VR or Google Cardboard, then turn your head to meet the 360-degree video presented on websites like YouTube and Facebook, or various specialist apps.
Already bored of virtual reality? Microsoft says it’s all about ‘mixed reality’ now
Dedicated VR gaming headsets like Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and PlayStation VR will eventually prove genuinely groundbreaking for gaming, but they’re expensive and will take some time to cross into the mainstream.
In the meantime, there are other immersive technologies emerging that could define the future of gaming, entertainment and even communications.
From holo-phones and retinal displays to “cinematic reality” and 3D projections, a new era of tech is promised that could prove more successful than VR.