How does AR differ from Virtual Reality (VR) and Mixed Reality (MR)?

Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Mixed Reality (MR) are distinct technologies that alter how users perceive and interact with digital content. AR overlays digital elements onto the real world, allowing users to see both simultaneously. For example, mobile apps like Pokémon GO place virtual creatures in real-world locations using a phone’s camera and GPS. Developers often use frameworks like ARKit (iOS) or ARCore (Android) to build AR experiences, relying on device sensors for tracking. Unlike VR or MR, AR doesn’t replace the user’s environment—it enhances it, making it useful for applications like navigation overlays or interactive retail previews.

VR creates a fully immersive digital environment that replaces the physical world. Users typically wear headsets like the Meta Quest or HTC Vive, which block out external visuals and track head movements to simulate presence in a virtual space. For instance, VR games like Beat Saber or training simulations for pilots isolate users from their surroundings. Developers working with VR often use game engines like Unity or Unreal Engine, focusing on 3D rendering and low-latency tracking to prevent motion sickness. Unlike AR, VR requires dedicated hardware to achieve immersion, and interactions are limited to the virtual space—there’s no integration with real-world objects.

MR blends real and virtual environments, enabling digital objects to interact with the physical world in real time. Microsoft’s HoloLens is a prime example: it maps physical spaces and anchors holograms that respond to surfaces and movements. For developers, MR requires advanced spatial mapping APIs and depth-sensing cameras to align virtual content with real-world geometry. Unlike AR’s simple overlays, MR allows for bidirectional interactions—for example, a virtual ball bouncing off a real table. This makes MR suitable for collaborative engineering design or interactive training scenarios where context-aware digital elements enhance real-world workflows. MR’s complexity often demands more processing power and specialized hardware compared to AR or VR.