It’s always exciting when new tech emerges and takes us a step closer toward the future we see in science fiction – and whilst not all of the dreamed changes will live up to expectation, some are starting to take the form of what could be looking futuristic. The two biggest come in the form of augmented and virtual reality, with both having their own merits and drawbacks, but as tech moves forward, both will certainly play a big role in parts of our day-to-day lives.
Augmented reality was first seen by many on a wider scale back in 2016 with the release of the popular mobile game Pokémon GO – taking the world by storm for summer, the game utilized AR to show the little creatures on your camera wherever you were, and whilst not necessarily immersive, did add a layer to the game that hadn’t been utilized much before. However, AR’s real uses started to emerge after this, as everyday items have started to introduce some usage. There had been a concept recently showing a metro card with AR functionality so that when it was scanned, it would show a 3D model of the metro on your mobile device, and creative uses such as these can certainly help push the tech-forward.
Virtual Reality has also received its time in the limelight recently too – whilst it has primarily been used for gaming purposes, with many services jumping on board to try out the features recently – one, in particular, has been the expectation that online casinos found here will start to introduce virtual reality and multiplayer options with a surge of players throughout the year despite ongoing initiatives such as Gamstop aimed at slowing it down – but other uses have also been seen through virtual theme parks and rides for example. There are still a lot of drawbacks to VR currently; the requirement for bulky hardware and the high price provides a barrier to entry for many, and with the high price associated with a system that can utilize VR correctly it also makes things more difficult – but change is happening very quickly here. Once costs come down and more accessibility is easy to come by, usage will surge too.
The future is certainly nearly here, though and exciting steps forward in both of these technologies are well on the way – it may not be long until the sci-fi stuff we’ve seen in movies, and TV shows become a reality, whilst current uses remain very niche they will certainly start to expand when tech catches up. At this point, it is only a matter of time rather than a question of whether or not it is possible. There are plenty of demonstrations around, too. If it isn’t something you’ve tried for yourself, certainly see if you can get a taster, and it may even encourage you to get your own unit and take part in some virtual reality adventures of your own.