By Marcus Chin
Mixed Reality. Another new buzzword used by tech companies, yet the technology seems promising. With the Apple Vision Pro releasing next year and the Meta Quest 3 launching recently, perhaps the future of “Ready Player One” isn’t far from now.
For some context, Mixed Reality or MR is a term used to describe the use of virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR) technology to merge the real world and the virtual world. Imagine seeing your friends standing in your room, even though they are thousands of miles away from you. Imagine watching movies in your home theater, even if you don’t have a TV. Many of these childhood fantasies of hologram-like technology can become a reality with the promises made by companies pursuing the dream of mixed reality.
(Photo by UX Planet)
On the surface, mixed reality seems like the next global phenomenon. Headsets could replace phones, leaving us with infinite possibilities for entertainment, productivity, socializing, and more. But in reality, there are still many issues with immersive headsets, even with Apple’s flagship mixed-reality headset launching in just a few months.
For one, tech companies have to come face-to-face with the current culture surrounding technology. Nowadays, everyone has phones - even young kids. These devices do everything for us, and we rarely need anything more. The only exception to this is desktop computers or laptops for productivity, intense gaming, and other similar activities. Breaking the norm is always hard, especially since asking people to strap computers to their faces brings several privacy and safety concerns.
Another major issue is the cost of producing high-quality mixed-reality headsets. To provide a truly immersive experience, a general consumer may need to spend around 4000 USD. Cheaper headsets like the Meta Quest 3 for 600 USD simply do not offer the same experience as headsets like the Apple Vision Pro, with distortion and low frame rates breaking immersion. The price needs to be lowered significantly to attract general consumers, which is an issue in itself due to various economic factors including inflation as well as the rising price of technology as a whole.
Finally, an indistinguishable virtual world cannot be realized yet without technology from the future. Although we have come extremely far since the early days of virtual reality, headsets do not have the technology to fully create the illusion of seeing the real world or the virtual world with our own eyes. Furthermore, the lack of realistic haptic controllers also restricts the possibilities of VR experiences, and omnidirectional treadmills have yet to go mainstream in mixed reality products. Without significant advancements in mixed reality technology, the experiences will not likely justify any price tag that a regular consumer would pay.
Even though there are several barriers to success for mixed reality, I still believe that soon, we will begin to see mixed reality headsets in many households across the world. The question remains of whether or not this is the right direction for technological advancements. Do we want to strap thousand-dollar devices to our heads all day? Perhaps we need to be cautious of the invasiveness of personal technology today. Only time will tell what will come of the new field of immersive technology.
References
Apple. (n.d.). Apple Vision Pro. https://www.apple.com/apple-vision-pro/
Meta. (n.d.). Meta Quest 3. https://www.meta.com/quest/quest-3/
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