Mixed Reality promises to change our perception of the surrounding world and Tech-giants are ready to start. Beware: the future of spatial interfaces through head-worn devices is on the horizon!
Have you ever found yourself wondering where the boundary between reality and imagination lies? Distinguishing between fiction and reality is today more than ever a complex issue.
Soon, this issue might become even more problematic, thanks to a new technology that promises to revolutionize our familiar perception of the world.
This emerging technology is Mixed Reality, and its new devices will open the doors to an entirely different world, where reality and virtuality merge into a unique experience.
Mixed Reality can combine elements of the real world with virtual elements to create immersive and interactive experiences that can be used in so many sectors, from entertainment to education and beyond.
Reality in a new mix
Mixed Reality sits at an intermediate point between virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). While VR completely immerses the user in a virtual environment and AR overlays virtual elements onto the real world, Mixed Reality merges the real with the virtual in a way that both coexist and interact with each other in real-time.
Mixed Reality is produced by devices constantly scanning the physical space and objects within it, transferring real-time data to the virtual world for processing and re-presenting to the user. This cyclical process of scanning the physical space, sending data to the virtual world, and returning processed information occurs through transparent displays, visualization devices, acoustic amplification, and real-time projections.
Unlike other technologies, Mixed Reality does not abstract from the surrounding environment; instead, it seeks to be aware of the user's spatial context through continuous information exchange between the two realms. The innovations of Mixed Reality have a revolutionary impact in many disciplines and fields of research, allowing for a radical reconfiguration of environments and work practices.
Apple, Meta and the battle for the Mixed World
Apple, Meta, and other major players in the technology industry are leading the charge in the realm of Mixed Reality. These tech giants are investing heavily in the development of Mixed Reality devices and ecosystems, each bringing their unique approach to this innovative technology.
Apple’s Vision Pro and Meta’s Quest 3 have catapulted into the spotlight, igniting fervent discussions among tech enthusiasts and developers. The divergence between the two sheds light on the strategic maneuvers employed by tech companies as they navigate the new competitive terrain of Mixed Reality.
The outcome of this battle will likely depend on the ability to create increasingly less invasive and more familiar tools, simultaneously providing a "mixed" experience that is not only more engaging but also more socially shareable.
How to do this? Adding more and more Mixed Reality content and applications will be vital, but it will also be fundamental to transform the heavy heads-up displays and headsets into something more similar to a pair of sunglasses to infiltrate the mass market.
Meta’s Quest 3
Virtual reality (VR) has a long history, with devices like Quest 2 already achieving remarkable sales figures. Now it’s time for its successor, the Quest 3, to try to break the boundaries of Virtual Reality and enter the world of Mixed Reality.
The greatly enhanced “Passthrough” feature on Quest 3 offers a tenfold increase in pixel resolution compared to Quest 2, along with a novel AI-driven depth engine fully optimized for the hardware's capabilities. These advancements make mixed reality possible and provide the means to craft immersive experiences that allow users to perceive their surroundings with enhanced clarity and realism.
The Meta Quest 3 outshines the Quest 2 in several ways. It offers greater comfort, increased power, enhanced user-friendliness, improved usability for extended periods. In this sense, the Quest 3 is a much better VR headset than its predecessor.
But Meta calls the Quest 3 the first mainstream Mixed Reality headset. Nonetheless, according to many reviews of the product, the primary focus of the Quest 3 is on mixed reality for business and gaming, yet both aspects currently deliver superior experiences in VR.
Meta has set an aggressive pricing strategy for its upcoming Quest 3, which will retail at $499. The cost-effectiveness of the Quest 3 makes it an appealing choice for beginners, prioritizing affordability and accessibility over groundbreaking innovation and technology.
Apple’s Vision Pro
After its seamless integration of hardware and software, Apple promises to be ready to fuse reality and virtuality offering users a highly immersive Mixed Reality experience with its Vision Pro, ready to be launched early next year in the US.
Apple’s Vision Pro is the result of decades of experience designing high‑performance, mobile, and wearable devices — culminating in the most ambitious product Apple has ever created. The big gamble of the Cupertino brand is to launch a device that will very much be part of our daily lifes, unlike many other headsets on the market geared primarily towards immersive gaming.
Apple describes its new product as a “spatial computer”, built on the foundation of macOS, iOS: visionOS. The Vision Pro will enable new spatial experiences never tried before by users: for example controlling the device with eyes, hands, and voice, features that will add intuition and spontaneity to the Mixed experience.
Apple has pitched Vision Pro as the next digital breakthrough, following desktop, mobile computing, and tablet computing. The concept of spatial computing via Vision Pro is anticipated to be a game-changer.
The Apple Vision Pro will stand as a top-tier Mixed Reality headset, commanding a hefty $3499 price tag. While it boasts innovative technology and unmatched performance, the Vision Pro's cost could confine its availability to a specialized market of developers and professionals.
A new world of Mixed Reality is on the horizon!
While VR excels in providing immersive experiences, Mixed Reality is poised to also become a significant real-world applied technology.
To propel Mixed Reality into the mainstream, we require more than just repurposed VR games. What's essential is the emergence of a completely new category of apps and innovative concepts.
Soon we will have at our disposal a new generation of tools that promise to bring the power of computers outside of traditional monitors to make them magically appear before our eyes.
This new technology will offer a wide range of applications spanning sectors such as entertainment, education, medicine, and industry. Here are some of its key applications as we at PIGIAMA KASAMA imagine them:
Games and Entertainment
Mixed Reality enables gamers to immerse themselves in virtual worlds that blend with the real environment, creating highly engaging and personalized gaming experiences.
Training and Education
In the realm of education, Mixed Reality can be used to create realistic simulations that help students understand complex concepts interactively.
Medical and Health
Mixed Reality can be used for surgical training, procedure planning, and real-time visualization of medical data during surgeries.
Industry and Manufacturing
In industry, Mixed Reality can enhance the design, assembly, and maintenance of complex products through the overlay of instructions and data directly onto the operator's field of view.
Real Estate and Architecture
Mixed Reality can be used to show potential buyers how a furnished or renovated property would look, providing a clear vision of a property's potential. It will also revolutionize the way architects design and work.
Retail and Shopping
Mixed Reality has the potential to revolutionize the future of retail and shopping by enhancing shopping experiences, enabling virtual try-on an in-store navigation.
Advertising
Advertising won’t look the same after the advent of Mixed Reality. Brands will use Mixed Reality to create engaging advertising campaigns, making users interact with digital content triggered by product packaging or real-world objects.
MANY MORE APPLICATIONS WE NOW CAN’T EVEN IMAGINE WILL COME!
Mixed Reality is revolutionizing how we interact with the virtual and real worlds. This technology opens new possibilities for entertainment, education, medicine, industry, and many other sectors.
As Mixed Reality technology advances, we are likely to see an increase in applications and innovations that will change our daily lives.
Mixed Reality represents a bridge between the two worlds, offering a hybrid experience that promises to be increasingly engaging and useful. Don’t miss out this revolution!
Join the Mixed world and get ready to take advantage of this new way of perceiving reality thanks to PIGIAMA KASAMA creativity and experience in building and designing amazing new worlds. Explore the potential of Mixed Reality!
