Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) are related technologies but have some fundamental differences:
User Experience: In AR, the user's view of the real world is augmented with virtual elements, allowing them to see both the real and virtual simultaneously. In VR, the user is completely immersed in a virtual environment, unable to see the real world.
Environment: AR enhances the existing real-world environment with virtual objects, whereas VR creates a completely synthetic and immersive virtual environment.
Interaction: AR typically involves interaction with the real world and virtual objects simultaneously. VR, on the other hand, relies on controllers, gestures, or other input devices to interact within the virtual environment.
Level of immersion: AR provides a partial immersion experience by blending virtual content with the real world. VR offers a high level of immersion, creating a sense of presence and transporting users to a fully simulated environment.
Applications: AR is often used to enhance real-world experiences, such as overlaying information on a live video feed, training simulations, or navigation. VR is commonly used for gaming, virtual tours, training, and other experiences where a complete virtual environment is desired.
Hardware: AR can be experienced using various devices, including smartphones, tablets, smart glasses, or headsets with transparent displays. VR typically requires a dedicated headset that completely blocks out the real world and provides a fully immersive visual and auditory experience.