Virtual Products 101: VR, AR, MR
When people talk about virtual products, they tend to think of a full-on VR experience. In reality, there are a wide variety of virtual products that provide a range of experiences. Furthermore, the combination of individual products and content-specific devices bring these experiences to life.
Beginning with virtual reality (VR), this is a fully immersive experience where you do not see the physical world. Instead, you experience a completely different world that a headset/software interface brings to life. This is a very mind-blowing experience and feels like wearing goggles underwater for the first time.
The fastest-growing virtual product segment is augmented reality (AR). This creates virtual overlays in a physical space to illustrate information. For example, AR technology will recognize specific locations and use graphic elements to provide more context about what a user is experiencing.
Finally, merged reality (MR) is very easy to confuse with AR – because they both involve engaging with virtual content in physical space. Simply put, MR products create interactive virtual objects on a mobile interface. The interaction with these objects is very similar to their physical counterparts.
Looking forward, the reach of virtual products continues to expand. This is especially true with AR/MR applications on mobile devices.
About the speaker
Adam Sheppard is Co-Founder & CEO of 8ninths - a leading Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality solutions provider. In addition, Adam is the Founder of Microsoft’s skunk works innovation team, “Live Labs,” under Ray Ozzie and Bill Gates. As one of seven companies selected worldwide to undergo a technology transfer on Microsoft HoloLens prior to general release, 8ninths is a leader in new UX design and development of practical AR / VR solutions. Their 360° video documentary, ‘Capturing Everest’ debuted at Sundance in 2017 and is distributed by Sports Illustrated & TIME.
About the host
Anne Retterer is the Founder and CEO of Mindspand - an online community that enables organizations to list course offerings and provide access to services for local customers. Prior to starting Mindspand, Anne managed the product portfolio at Expedia and established an investment fund for tech companies in Chile with Hambrecht & Quest (now JPMorgan Chase & Co.). Anne holds an MBA from UC Davis and currently lives in Seattle.