Technologies such as AR and VR are truly a game changer for both brands and customers. Augmented reality, on the one hand, overlays digital information on top of the physical world. Virtual reality takes the users to a new world, separating them from their physical environment.
If you were to compare AR with VR, both technologies are interrelated with each other, and there's one thing in common – immersive experiences. People can explore the virtual world and talk to each other regardless of their geographical location.
Imagine if you integrate it into your business; what impact can it have on it?
Let's say you created an e-commerce-based AR app for customers to try makeup products virtually before they tap the buy button. This not only makes them confident in their purchases. But it also reduces product return rates as they can exactly see how products look on them.
Result? Increased sales and More revenue for your brand.
Let's talk about what AR and VR technologies are and discuss the core differences between the two.
60 Second Summary
AR adds to the real world, while VR creates a new virtual world. AR shows digital images on your phone or tablet, while VR puts you inside a 3D experience using a headset.
AR is easier to access since most smartphones support it. VR needs special gear like headsets, which can be expensive but offer a more immersive feel.
Both AR and VR are changing industries like online shopping, education, healthcare, travel, and real estate by making experiences more interactive and engaging.
Popular examples include IKEA’s AR furniture app, Pokémon Go, Meta’s AR glasses, Apple Vision Pro, and Fortnite’s VR concerts.
Use AR to enhance real-life experiences (like trying on makeup or furniture). Use VR to create full virtual experiences (like training, games, or virtual meetings).
What Is AR?(Augmented Reality)
Augmented Reality relates to when the digital world is combined with natural elements. Any person who has a smartphone can get access to AR. This emerging technology removes the dullness of the physical world into the colorful and visual world by projecting virtual images using a phone camera.
Unlike Virtual reality which detaches the user from physical settings, it's an enhancement of the real world with virtual objects.
With Augmented reality, users can interact with the stuff in front of them, like an object in the room. Of course, users can manipulate it and create a new environment around them.
You might have used Snapchat filters, which are a byproduct of AR technology.
For Instance: Snapchat presents a layer of virtual Reality over the real world. This enhances customer experience as they can now interact with virtual objects in the real world.
Think of AR as the perfect mix of the physical world and virtual elements to create an artificial environment.
The scope of AR has expanded to various sectors, including mobile computing, healthcare, the aviation industry, and other businesses.
Augmented reality is more interactive and accessible as it requires smartphones to experience things. The only condition is that it depends on device camera quality and environment conditions.
Applications of Augmented Reality
AR has multiple use cases when used across different industries:
1) Brands in ecommerce can create engaging, meaningful, and immersive experiences for customers through Augmented reality.
AR in ecommerce simplify the decision-making process for consumers by changing the way they interact with products earlier. Integration of AR and VR technologies allows users to see the product in action.
Several brands, such as Sephora, IKEA, and Starbucks, are using such technologies to increase customer engagement, reduce product returns, and increase conversion rates.
3) Healthcare professionals such as doctors and medical staff can perform the health checkup of patients remotely. They need an AR glass to see what problems patients are struggling with. It's useful in fields such as dermatology and medical specialties.
Surgeons, on the other hand, can see the unseen details by interacting with AR technology when performing surgery.
When it comes to providing treatment plans, Augmented reality does a pretty good job at healthcare. It identifies the genetics, lifestyle, and other traits of a patient to provide personalized treatment plans. This leaves no scope for errors and enhances the patient's experience.
4) The use of immersive technologies such as AR and VR simplifies the home buying process. Users can view the property from all angles without coming out of their comfort zone. This engages customers as they get a sense of and feel at home before buying it.
5) Augmented reality provides information to tourists about historical places and popular attractions.
6) AR makes the driving experience easier and safer. The one who’s driving the car can follow the step-by-step instructions instead of worrying about taking different turns finding a route.
The AR will tell them to follow this blue line or purple mode, and they'll reach their destination soon.
IKEA furniture allows shoppers to see whether the furniture would fit in their space or not. This reduces product return chances as customers know exactly what they're going to get.
Customers can imagine how tables and furniture would look in their room.
2) Pokemon Go
It is another popular concept of AR. The game purely focuses on locating and catching a cartoon character that is visually present in the surrounding.
The Pokemon App notifies the users about the presence of Pokemon in the area and then the user receives directions to find them.
Thus, the cartoon character superimposes the real-life setting, which is an AR experience.
Quiver Vision is an AR app that brings color experience to the real world. Children can interact with their drawings in the 3D world and can go beyond the 2D objects. This enhances student engagement when creatures and 3D objects come out of their drawings.
4) Meta's Orion AR glasses
Meta introduced Orion's augmented reality glasses to bring digital objects into physical surroundings. This Orion glass is a part of project Nazarre, where Meta wants to provide immersive experiences to people.
From multi-tasking windows to in-stream entertainment, these AR glasses blend virtual objects into real space.
Think of this when you can see the recipe of food placed inside the refrigerator and plan your calendar well while washing dishes. The whole experience is immersive through Orion glasses.
Lenskart provides a try-before-you-buy experience for its customers. Customers can see which sunglasses and eyeglasses fit their face size and shape.
It provides an in-store feeling to customers as if they're present physically and try 10,000+ frames and choose the color that suits them the best. The whole app experience is designed with Augmented reality technology.
The eyewear experience is accessible to customers in the comfort of their homes. This provides an amazing experience for customers.
What Is VR? (Virtual Reality)
Have you worn headsets? You might have worn it; if not, you might have heard it many times. Virtual Reality provides an immersive experience allowing the user to view 3-dimensional images by wearing specific hardware such as a VR headset.
VR refers to the technology used to provide people with virtual experiences. People can interact with that environment using VR goggles or mobile devices.
In the virtual environment, users are not only viewing the screen but are also immersed within the virtual environment and can interact with it.
Furthermore, Virtual Reality allows users to fully immerse themselves in the digitally simulated environment using a VR headset. Using VR, users can move to the virtual world and start feeling that they exist in the virtual environment.
Users wear virtual headsets and head-mounted displays to feel an alternative world. Consider a virtual reality wherein a user enters the environment and performs things there.
Applications of Virtual Reality:
Just like Augmented Reality, Virtual reality can be widely used in various sectors such as healthcare, health training, and patient treatment simulations.
For instance: Medical students can practice their simulations in risk-free virtual environments without putting patients at risk.
VR is a game changer in the retail space as customers can try on clothes using body scanning technology and see whether they would fit them or not. Not only is it a sustainable move, but it also reduces shipping costs.
This technology brings people together where they can meet, share their ideas, and feel space as if they’re present physically. Platforms like Spatial allow people to work collaboratively.
Examples of Virtual Reality
Let's discuss the real-world examples of brands that use Virtual reality to blend digital and physical worlds-
1) ZSpace
ZSpace is an AR/VR platform that makes learning more fun and accessible for students.
They can conduct physical experiments virtually such as analysis of internal structures like the anatomy of animals, such as frog organs and their digestive and circulatory systems.
By conducting experiments in a virtual setting, learners can create their findings report safely and their performance improves dramatically. A study states that students who interacted with VR labs saw an improvement in their test scores by 15%.
2) Rift Tour (Fortnite)
Musicians like Ariana Grande performed her live show on the Fortnite platform, which was more like a virtual concert by combining music, games, and fantasy together. For others, it looked like a virtual concert, but it was an immersive story.
Result? This virtual show attracted hundreds and millions of viewers in real-time.
3) Apple Vision Pro
Apple Vision Pro is a type of mixed-reality headset that transforms your room into a personal theater. When putting on this headset, users feel as if they’re talking to apps; photos become a gallery for them.
They can blink their eyes to navigate, flip their fingers to scroll, and use their voices to dictate the world. These are Spatial experiences. For the cinematic experience, viewers can make their screen as big as they want (100 meters wide) so they can feel as if they're part of the action.
Best part?
You can turn your room into a meeting space and talk to your colleagues as if they're sitting beside you. Conversation feels more natural, and collaboration becomes easier.
4) Gucci Town
Gucci, an Italian luxury brand for clothing and fashion goods, launched Gucci Town. Additionally, It is a virtual world where players can explore the town, get various insights to learn about the town’s history, and network with other players in the game.
Gucci Town is the place where people can purchase clothes for their avatars.
5) Tom Shoes
The business model of Tom Shoes works in such a way that for every pair of shoes the customer purchases, the company will donate it to someone who needs it. So, Tom Shoes launched a campaign, “walk in shoes,” allowing the shoppers to experience the journey in the virtual environment and benefit directly from the shoes.
How is Augmented Reality Different From Virtual Reality Technology? (Augmented Reality Vs Virtual Reality)
AR can enhance the real world with virtual overlays, but virtual Reality creates an immersive, separate virtual environment. This means that AR enhances your physical world while Virtual Reality transports the user to the physical world.
Users can access immersive experiences through AR on their smartphones and devices. While VR requires users to wear a headset, which is an expensive gadget, without this, there will be a disconnect between the physical and real world.
The difference between Augmented reality and virtual Reality depends on its usage. For instance – AR is good to use in the education sector, where learners can interact with 2D objects. In retail space, it's a game changer through the virtual try-on feature.
Virtual Reality has different usages in industrial training and virtual collaborations. Whether you want to use AR or VR technology, you need to see if you wish to enhance the real world or isolate the users into a new, separate world.
AR vs VR
Basis of comparison
Virtual Reality (VR)
Augmented Reality (AR)
Replacing reality/ adding reality
VR focuses on blocking the user from Reality. It totally replaces the virtual environment with a real one.
AR doesn’t block reality but adds digital elements on top of what you already see around you.
Requirement of headset
Users usually need VR headsets like Oculus, Vive, or PlayStation VR to feel fully inside the virtual world.
Users don’t need a headset; AR works on smartphones and tablets too. Though smart glasses can be used for hands-free AR.
Isolation
VR separates the users from the physical world. You can’t really see or hear what’s happening around you.
AR lets you stay aware of your surroundings while still interacting with digital stuff.
What does it do
VR builds a complete artificial environment. It’s like stepping into a video game or 3D world, totally separate from real life.
AR works by placing computer-generated objects, info, or effects on top of your real view — like filters, labels, or 3D models.
Bandwidth and performance
VR needs high-performance hardware and often high bandwidth (400 Mbps or more) to run smoothly, especially online VR.
AR can work with less — around 100 Mbps is usually good — but depends on the complexity of the experience.
Example
Games like Beat Saber, Half-Life: Alyx or VRChat on Oculus or PS VR are some examples of VR.
AR can be seen in Pokémon Go, Snapchat lenses, and apps like IKEA Place that help see how furniture fits your room.
Use cases
VR is popular in gaming, virtual tourism, 3D training (like flight simulators), and virtual meetings or classrooms. Also used in therapy and simulations..
AR pops up everyday things — from face filters on Instagram to Google Maps AR, to apps that measure room space or show driving info on your windshield.
Technical – Display
Uses stereoscopic displays to show 3D visuals. Needs a high refresh rate (90Hz or more) to avoid motion sickness.
Displays are 2D overlays on real camera feeds or see-through lenses. Real-time updating is key to matching physical surroundings.
Technical – Sensors
Uses motion sensors, gyroscopes, accelerometers, and external trackers for body and head tracking.
Uses GPS, compass, cameras, LiDAR (sometimes), and surface recognition to detect objects and place digital content properly.
Technical – Input
VR uses hand controllers, gloves, body trackers, or even eye tracking to interact inside the virtual world.
AR often uses touchscreen input or hand gestures captured by phone cameras or smart glasses.
Technical – Rendering
Requires full scene rendering with 3D models, lighting, shadows, and physics simulation for immersion.
Requires lightweight rendering that blends with real-world lighting and scale. Often it needs object recognition to work properly.
Technical – Latency
Low latency is super important in VR (under 20 ms) to prevent dizziness and keep the user comfortable.
AR also needs low latency, but it's more forgiving compared to VR. It still needs to sync accurately with real-world movement.
Future of AR and VR
The future of AR/VR looks promising. AR/VR devices are there to provide immersive experiences to the user. These technologies are there to impact our lives starting from how we work and play.
A press release from Deloitte states the VR market is expected to surpass 50% by 2023 compared to the last year and accounts for 7 billion US dollars in global revenue.
Thus, AR vs VR technologies is becoming a part of digital transformation.
Research studies from Statista state that the global market size for AR/VR/MR will be 29.26 billion US dollars in 2022, and it will rise by USD 100 billion by 2026.
AR/VR is Creating New Opportunities:
Virtual fitting rooms are coming, which enable users to see what an item looks like before buying it.
WebAR will gain huge prominence allowing users to get AR experiences through web browsers.
Users will control apps and devices through eye movements.
The integration of AI in AR wearable devices makes a whole difference. Let’s say a user wears an AR glass and he walks across the city, he gets real time directions when to take a next turn and get information about the nearby coffee shop or when he comes across a building, the AR glass will tell everything about that.
In the future, people can make money with AR/VR content.
Because of the increasing demand for AR/VR devices, users continue to consume more content, which increases demand for more content production.
How Can BigOhTech Help You Create Engaging User Experiences Through AR/VR Development?
The choice between AR and VR technology depends on your business goals. If you want to enhance the real world, like helping a technician fix the equipment or a shopper, visualize how the couch will live in the living room, then Augmented reality is the right technology.
But if your objective is to create a fully controlled, immersive environment for entertainment, visual storytelling, or training purposes, VR is the way to go.
As an AR/VR development agency, we enhance customer experience by providing a digital environment using AR/VR tools and platforms such as Unity, AR Core, Vuforia, etc.
We know that connecting with customers at a deeper level is possible when they get such immersive experiences, so we design such applications integrating AR and VR tools such as:
AR/VR games
Visual solutions
3D design and development solutions
Support and maintenance
FAQs
Q1.What are some examples of AR applications?
Some popular examples of AR applications include the Pokémon Go game, Ikea, Sephora, and social media filters ranging from TikTok to Snapchat.
Q2.What are some examples of VR applications?
Some famous examples of VR applications include second life, google earth VR, Cinematic VR, and YouTube VR.
Q3.What are the similarities between AR and VR?
Augmented Reality = Virtual Element in Real World
Virtual Reality = Real element(you) in Virtual World
A common similarity between AR and VR is that both technologies allow users to interact with virtual objects. Moreover, Both these technologies provide immersive experiences to the user by blending the real world with the virtual world.
Q4. Can AR and VR be used together?
Augmented and virtual reality can work cohesively by bridging the gap between real and physical worlds.
For instance: Engineers can interact with virtual components and, at the same time, build real components.
Similarly, in the educational space, students can point their smartphone camera toward a concept and get more information. Now, what if students want to learn about rainforests and wildlife? They can quickly enter the virtual world and learn to see everything in action.
Q5. What are the advantages and disadvantages of AR and VR?
AR and VR technologies offer a plethora of ways for brands to provide immersive experiences to customers, which are as given below-
Provide interactive product demonstrations to customers to try the products virtually. It can be anything ranging from taking a virtual tour of properties to visualizing the furniture in the living room.
Businesses can retain their employees by conducting virtual training simulations. This way, employees can learn a lot while applying things.
Virtual reality brings teams together for brainstorming sessions, conducting virtual meetings, and creating a collaborative culture.
The drawback when using AR/VR tools is that it can cause several health issues for users, such as eye problems and increased mental dependence. At the same time, Augmented reality requires users to experience the virtual world with few taps on smartphones.
For virtual reality, people need to buy expensive headsets.
