Virtual Reality
(Vikipedia)
Virtual reality or virtual realities (VR), also known as immersive multimedia or computer-simulated reality,
is a computer technology that replicates an environment, real or imagined,
and simulates a user's physical presence and environment to allow for user interaction.
Virtual realities artificially create sensory experience, which can include sight, touch, hearing, and smell.
Most up-to-date virtual realities are displayed either on a computer monitor or with a virtual reality headset (also called head-mounted display),
and some simulations include additional sensory information and focus on real sound through speakers or headphones targeted towards VR users.
Some advanced haptic systems now include tactile information, generally known as force feedback in medical, gaming and military applications.
Furthermore, virtual reality covers remote communication environments which provide virtual presence of users with the concepts of telepresence
and telexistence or a virtual artifact (VA) either through the use of standard input devices such as a keyboard and mouse,
or through multimodal devices such as a wired glove or omnidirectional treadmills.
The immersive environment can be similar to the real world in order to create a lifelike experience for example,
in simulations for pilot or combat training or it can differ significantly from reality, such as in VR games.
Augmented Reality
(Vikipedia)
Augmented reality (AR) is a live direct or indirect view of a physical,
real-world environment whose elements are augmented (or supplemented) by computer-generated sensory input such as sound,
video, graphics or GPS data. It is related to a more general concept called mediated reality,
in which a view of reality is modified (possibly even diminished rather than augmented) by a computer.
As a result, the technology functions by enhancing one’s current perception of reality.
By contrast, virtual reality replaces the real world with a simulated one.
Augmentation is conventionally in real-time and in semantic context with environmental elements,
such as sports scores on TV during a match. With the help of advanced AR technology (e.g. adding computer vision and object recognition)
the information about the surrounding real world of the user becomes interactive and digitally manipulable.
Information about the environment and its objects is overlaid on the real world.
This information can be virtual or real, e.g. seeing other real sensed or measured information
such as electromagnetic radio waves overlaid in exact alignment with where they actually are in space.
My VR Helmets
Samsung VR Gear
This VR helmet is dependent on a Samsung mobile phone, the Galaxy S6 or S7. It is functioning but is not particulary good to look at.
It all started with Oculus Rift, wich has been talked about for years and finally appeared. They say that VR gadgets are looking great in the future.
I remember many years ago I was trying a VR helmet on an Electronic exhibition in Oslo (Oslo Spectrum). It was much better than the Samsung VR gear of today.
Then came the HTC Vive:
I bought the HTC Vive on December 6, 2016.
The newest Samsung VR-gear, bought in May 2017, looks like the old one. I use it with the Samsung S8 mobile phone and then it is a little better than
the old one, but still far away from what I would like.
For the first time a new player came on the scene, the Oculus Quest.
It is not dependent of a phone or a PC, but have the power built in.
I bought it November 2019, and have not yet played with it