XR, VR, and AR: What’s the Difference?

XR: The Umbrella Term

XR stands for Extended Reality and is an umbrella term that encompasses all immersive technologies, including VR, AR, and MR. These perception-changing technologies deal with virtual elements, meaning an onboard computer generates all the objects.

VR: Fully Immersive

Virtual Reality (VR) is fully immersive, meaning it shows only virtual elements. In VR, the CGI fully covers your vision, so you’re immersed in a totally fake world. You can use some VR implementations from a standard smartphone without needing headgear, but most VR experiences require a full headset.

AR: Overlaying Virtual Elements

Augmented Reality (AR) enhances our view of the real world by overlaying what we see with computer-generated information. AR uses computer-generated images too, but since the point is to also see your surroundings, those elements don’t take over your whole vision. Instead, your physical environment is enhanced or changed in some way.

New Headsets on the Market

Apple XR Headset

Apple’s mixed reality headset should be announced soon. It is expected to cost around $3000.

Meta Oculus Quest 3

Meta has recently revealed the Oculus Quest 3 VR headset, now officially known as the Meta Quest 3. It is the follow-up to the hugely popular Oculus Quest 2. The Meta Quest 3 will launch later this year in Fall (September, October, November) and will cost $499 / £499 / AU$829.

The Quest 3 will share a few similarities with the Quest 2 – in terms of it offering an accessible VR experience – but will also come with some upgrades that make it a worthwhile follow-up. Chief among them is its new mixed-reality capabilities; the Quest 3 will adopt full-color passthrough – meaning it can show you the real world in color – rather than using the same grainy black and white passthrough that the Quest 2 employed.

Building XR Content with ModernMedia

At ModernMedia, we are able to build games and any content on any XR or VR headset. Our team of experts can help bring your ideas to life in an immersive and engaging way :))