VR, AR, MR: What’s the difference?

VR.
AR.
MR.

Man, half of the time it’s hard enough to wrap your mind around “R” on its own … let alone keep up with all these qualifiers.

Hard to argue with that. The world can be a confusing, sometimes disheartening place. Maybe that’s why so many of us try to find new ways to change it.

Immersive technologies are one way people are effectively reshaping the world … by virtually reshaping it.

Gaming, interior design, surgical planning, job training, art, and so many other things have been evolving with the help of immersive technologies.

There are few different ways this is happening.

Here, we delineate the media.

Let’s get into the preferred nomenclature, dude.

Before we get too far into this, it should be noted that some of these definitions are hotly debated.

However, if you have any suggestions or objections to the following definitions, email us. We’d love to chew the lexicological fat with you.

Virtual Reality (VR)

When you put on a head-mounted display (HMD) and are immersed in a completely computer-generated world, you’re experiencing virtual reality. While augmented reality and mixed reality incorporate graphics into the real material world around you, virtual reality creates an entirely new space. It still interacts with the material world — e.g. Creating boundaries so you don’t walk into your living room wall — but you don’t see it. In a virtual reality, you are completely immersed.

360º videos are sometimes called virtual reality, which makes some people angry for some reason. Interactive computer-generated graphics can be integrated into 360º videos as well — like this tour of the famous recording studio Abbey Road. Is that “VR?”

Sure. No. Who cares? Call it whatever you want. It’s cool.

Augmented Reality (AR)

Augmented reality lays computer-generated graphics over the real world via a camera. Snapchat is probably the most commonly used example of AR. When you’re chasing Pokémon or taking selfies with a Dog Filter, you’re experiencing augmented reality.

Another form of augmented reality is DR (diminished reality), which is basically just AR in reverse. With DR, you can remove items from the real world using augmented reality.

Mixed Reality (MR)

  • Sui Definiens: “You see pixels on top of the real world. They can replace the real world — and are better linked to it.”
  • Examples: Magic Leap

Mixed reality is perhaps the hardest immersive technological term to pin down. Basically, it’s like AR, but it incorporates VR elements into your augmented experience and interacts with other devices around you via the Internet of Things.

Then, there’s Extended Reality (XR). This one doesn’t get its own section because it’s a blanket term used to describe all the terms listed above.

There are many definitions for these floating around in the VR community, but as far as general, broad strokes definitions go, these are a great start.

Now that you know what they are, go out and try them!