Virtuality Continuum Misconception

TL;DR: Virtuality continuum scale is one of the terms in XR that is confusing and also widely misunderstood and this is because there is no common alignment in the industry about this term, I observed that what was defined in the book is different from what is been practiced which is the major source of confusion. In this write-up, I gave a distinction between the different kinds of reality on the virtuality continuum. I also shared what I learned from talking to Michelle, ad design manager at Oculus.

Virtuality continuum in the simplest is the various kind of reality with have or forms of reality that range from what we consider to be real (our real environment) to the virtual environment (synthetic or computer-generated environment) this encircle all the attainable alteration and compositions of real and virtual objects.A little bit of history here, the virtuality continuum was introduced by Paul Milgram and Fumio Kishino in an article about the taxonomy of Mixed Reality Visual Displays that was published in 1994.

Definition of terms

MR — Mixed reality: This is the movement or the continuum between augmented and virtual reality, this is the collection of Augmented reality, augmented virtuality, and can often manifest exist as a hybrid of the two categories, switching between filters, environments, and the real world. This can also be referred to as the movement after the real environment to on or before the fully virtual or synthetic world.

According to the taxonomy of Mixed Reality Visual Displays that was published in 1994, Milgram and co. defined MR as the combination of the real world and virtual, synthetic, or computer-generated objects that are presented to the senses or perceived at the same time. this can be done by overlaying virtual or synthetic objects in the real world (AR) using a see-through or optical display method or by extracting real-world content into a virtual world.

AR — Augmented reality: This is a type of reality that enhances the real environment by overlaying digital content on it. According to Alan B Craig in his Understanding Augmented Reality: Concepts and Applications, this digital content can be purely synthetic or copies of copies of real-world information represented digitally. This reality remains in the physical environment, no attempt is made to trick the senses into believing you are in a different environment. In addition, the other senses like sight, smell, and taste are not altered, they remain exactly the way they are in the real world.

AV — Augmented virtuality: This a type of reality that captures or uses real-world contents in an immersive environment. The main difference between Augmented reality and augmented virtuality is that AR is a form of reality where the real world is augmented by virtual entities or computer-generated objects which augmented virtuality is the enhancement of the virtual world with real-world entities.

VR -Virtual reality: This is a fully synthetic environment, where the physical environment is fully replaced by digital entities. Like AR, VR tends to trick the senses into believing you are in a completely different environment. This environment is fully synthetic and computer-generated, also the other senses like sight, sound, smell, and taste are tried to be altered to achieve full immersion. immersion is a perception or strong feeling of being physically present in a computer-generated world. This is mainly achieved by blocking out the real environment

The misconception

The misconception of this term is a result of the difference between what we have in the book and what is practiced, which mainly the result of the technological constraints and lack of common alignment in the industry.

In reality, mixed reality is a separate domain which has to do with the interaction of virtual entities or object with the real world. According to Microsoft’s documentation, Mixed Reality is a blend of physical and digital worlds, unlocking the links between human, computer, and environment interaction. This new reality is based on advancements in computer vision, graphical processing power, display technology, and input systems. One important aspect of mixed reality I that the virtual objects are aware of the environment they are in, which enables high-level interaction. Technically, mixed reality is a is the combination of Augmented reality and augmented virtuality

Talking to expects

To clarify the misconception I spoke to Michelle Pujals, Product Design Manager at Facebook/Oculus. Here is a highlight of our conversation and how she differentiated the AR, VR, and MR

… at oculus we go back and forth on these terms, what we’ve landed on is this, it depended on the device that you are using, AR is best represented through glasses that are not changing your view, so you are seeing through a clear sort of screen and something is been added to that, so the hardware there is not camera-based, just in you eyes and something are augmented on top. The way we talk about VR and MR is also based on the device, for instance, Oculus quest has cameras, that allow me to see through them, so it not technically AR, we are pulling in the main reality that is camera-based and that is why we feel we can manipulate it more when you are seeing through your cameras, there is an opportunity to dee missed the reality and when you cover the cameras and replace the reality that is VR.
The way we talk about it at Oculus VR is fully synthetic, Mixed reality is a blend of your real-world and your synthetic world through cameras, while AR is largely your real world with very little superimposed or argumentation on top of it.
In VR and MR you do play with lighting a lot, in AR you only deal with object lighting, everything else is kinda real…

Please note: This definition is not an industry, it is just my attempt to clarify things based on the current technologies available and also about current practices in the XR industry.

In conclusion, there are a lot of technical constraints that also contribute to the misconception of these terms, I believe as technology improves there would be a clear distinction between the devices and also the term.