Immersive technology uses 360-degree space to augment reality or create new realities. This frontier makes it so users can see and experience content from all directions. Some types of immersive technology bend reality by overlaying digital images on the user’s actual environment. Others create new realities by immersing users in digital environments, completely excluding them from the rest of the world.
Different Types of Immersive Technology
You might not have noticed it, but immersive technology is already a part of our everyday lives. It comes in four different forms, which we’ll discuss. Can you differentiate one from the other?
360
360 is the simplest and probably the most popular immersive technology on the market. Today, 360-degree content can be found almost everywhere online, especially on YouTube and Facebook. Most modern smartphones also allow you to create 360-degree images of whatever they want.
Similarly, the cost of equipment for creating 360-degree images is a lot cheaper as technology advances. 360 content seen on social platforms such as YouTube and Facebook ranges from user-generated to brand-sponsored content. This new format gives content creators more room to work and users to explore their world from any angle.
Virtual Reality
Virtual reality is another very popular type of immersive technology. VR has become quite a buzzword in recent years. In VR, the user is completely cut off from the rest of the world while surrounded by content. With a head-mounted display (HMD), everything a user experiences with a headset becomes “real”, allowing the user to experience actual and fictional worlds.
Augmented Reality
Augmented Reality (AR) is another type of immersive technology that displays digital images in the real world. This means that people using AR are not completely isolated from the world. Instead, AR augments their reality. A good example of AR is the Snapchat filter that lets you layer different images over your face. Another well-known example is Pokémon GO, which allows users to walk around the neighborhood with their mobile phones and find Pokémon monsters overlaid on the user’s surroundings.
Even stores like Target and Ikea have their own AR apps that allow users to select products (such as furniture) and place them virtually in their homes. This allows you to test how the product will fit with other furniture and furnishings. Essentially, consumers can “try” a product before purchasing it.
Mixed Reality (MR)
Mixed reality (MR) is a kind of combination of AR and VR. MR uses an HMD just like VR. However, unlike VR, the user is not locked out of the rest of the world.
Instead, HMDs are like glasses that overlay digital images around them (just like AR). For this reason, MR is sometimes called AR 2.0. One of the MR headsets currently on the market is the Microsoft HoloLens. There is also the recently introduced Magic Leap.
Is MR better than the other immersive technology? Some would say yes, because MR basically acts as the computer of the future, taking immersive technology to the next level. On the HoloLens website, for instance, Microsoft describes it as a “holographic computer.”
The idea of holographic computers takes “augmented reality” to the next level. With such technology, we might get to a point where the need for bulky devices or gadgets disappears. Moreover, such inventions make the internet more accessible for everyone.
As mixed reality continues to evolve, we may only see a future where desktops and laptops don’t matter and all computing work is done with the help of MR headsets.
Do You Need Proxies for Immersive Technology?
Although immersive tech seems to be shaping the future of the web, it is important to consider how internet safety would fit in this ecosystem. Hacking and malware attacks are serious threats, especially when using high-tech machines such as HMD or MR headsets.
Proxy servers are a good way to keep yourself anonymous as you interact with the internet in whatever way. Moreover, with the right kind of proxies, you even get to avoid restrictions tied to websites or apps that you’re interested in. A good proxy provider offers several features, including unlimited proxy bandwidth. Go for a recommended proxy provider with a variety of services. If you’re looking for a good deal, check out these IPRoyal coupons for your first purchase.
