Virtual & Augmented Reality For Dummies

Chapter 5

Consuming Content in Augmented Reality

IN THIS CHAPTER

Exploring current consumer-based augmented reality experiences

Identifying potential upcoming hardware

Comparing current and future generations of hardware

Augmented reality (AR) currently finds itself at the point where virtual reality (VR) was four or five years ago. Consumer buzz around the technology has started to build, but few people have had a chance to experience it in any meaningful way.

AR has yet to experience that “a-ha” moment with consumers, when a switch is flipped in their minds to the possibilities of AR. Flipping that switch may start a “space race” of sorts, in which manufacturers will aggressively compete to see whose AR form factor will win out. Determining a winner in that contest may ultimately come down to a matter of cost. Who will be able to create a compelling experience for consumers at a price that supports mass-scale production? Up to this point, most current AR hardware solutions have chosen to focus their efforts on building enterprise-level solutions that most consumers can’t afford.

As a result, at this point in AR’s development, you’re far less likely to be a casual consumer of ...