Composite image by Re/code; original: Japanexperterna.se
Augmented/Mixed/Virtual
One of my big pet hates in the technology industry, is when terminology is slung around by journalists who think its not a problem to substitute one word for another and assume it will convey the same meaning. With the new range of AR/MR/VR tech either with us now, or on the horizon, it really isn’t the case.
So when I found an article at recode.net the other day that nicely sums up the differences between augmented, mixed and virtual reality, I breathed a sigh of relief that there is people out there who now “get it”!
Keep it simple, boil an egg?
I try and summarise AR/MR/VR in the context of something people can relate to, e.g. boiling an egg:
- Augmented Reality: you wear a device which provides a set of step by step instructions in your line of sight, such as how long to cook it for – think of it as a manual for your eyes
- Mixed Reality: you wear a device which points you to the fridge were the eggs are, then to the cooker, and has a nice floating timer above the pan showing how long the egg has to cook – you are left in no doubt as to what to do, and how to do it. Everything you’re shown is in the context of your environment.
- Virtual Reality: you wear a device which places you in a kitchen on the planet Mars where the alien eggs need to be blasted before they eat you alive (and it feels VERY real)
But for a more sensible in depth definition, I really recommend you take a look at the article, “Choose Your Reality: Virtual, Augmented or Mixed”.
Above us only Sky?
Over the weekend, Sean Murray of No Mans Sky fame (the yet-to-launch “infinite” space game) announced on Twitter that Hello Games had come to an agreement with Sky TV over the name of the game. It seems that Sky TV have a broad trademark over the use of the word, and so had not been keen on the game title.
Sean tweeted:
Yay! We finally settled with Sky (they own the word “Sky”). We can call our game No Man’s Sky. 3 years of secret stupid legal nonsense over
— Sean Murray (@NoMansSky) June 17, 2016
Whilst big business should always have opportunities to protect their IP, surely no-one would ever doubt the difference between a console game and a TV broadcaster?
More on the issue from the BBC.
