The Multiverse is present, everyone talks about it… But do we really know what it is?
Experts know about spatial, they know that AR & MR & VR = XR
Consumers mostly know AR and/or VR.
But we are reaching the limits in describing this technology, or better merge of technologies.
These definitions are not enough anymore with functions like passthrough.
Mostly, AR is wrongly used for describing MR. Pure AR is just explaining the Reality. Helping us. Like giving additional informations for objects etc.
A Head Up Display is the classic Use Case for AR or the street view in navigation apps.
The translation apps that overlay the original text
Or in next future with our own smart glasses that display informations when WE need them.
But when synthetic objects overlay Reality we talk about Mixed Reality. (And it’s NOT Microsoft Reality)
The famous demo from Magic Leap (even faked) with whales is in this category.
And many Use cases from technical training, data visualization and collaboration become possible. My all time favourite is data storytelling by Flow.
In pure VR everything is synthetic, enabling us to create our own worlds.
But now these definitions seem not to be enough anymore with merging of technologies.
VR Passthrough is such one, where cameras and other sensors on the headset approximate what we would see if we were able to look directly through the front of the headset into the real world around. Passthrough includes real-time Reality into synthetic aka virtual.
Interaction with real objects in virtual becomes easier, and many players upgrade or redevelop their HMDs. And now it starts to be complicated because in fact this is MR too. Or better, it’s the better MR.
Btw I’ve not started to talk about 360videos with synthetic content etc etc
So HOW should we differentiate?
- AR ✅
- VR ✅
- MR ❌
Maybe we should be precise what is how mixed, so it needs to split:
- IR for Infused Reality? Should we define a threshold of 50%? Or the quality of images?
When real is overlaid like in HoloLens or Magic Leap I’d quote for IR. Same with “AR” use cases on tablets and phones.
VR Passthrough therefore could become THE real MR.
OR we keep MR how it is and use for passthrough Infused Virtuality?
