Thoughts on VR

A lot of us old-school nerds have always wished for functional VR. It's been a hallmark of sci-fi for decades. The Holodeck of the Star Wars: The Next Generation, to The Lawnmower Man.  We've been waiting for it, and now it is nearly here.

For clarification, when I say nearly, what I am saying is, I know the technology exist, but it isn't at "that" level yet.  Keep reading for an explanation

With so much development time and energy being spent towards VR, I've started to wonder what would my experience be like. What would yours be like?

Being old-school means VR comes with certain metrics that have to be met.  I know the type of experience that I expect to be met.  Right now the Hololens seems to be the best bet for that sort of realization and that's the one I'll be looking into the most, but I also want to see the type of VR that takes me into another world.

I want the type of experience where I come in from a long day, put my headset on and I am the character.  I look down and I see the CAW I created from the first person perspective.  My actions are its actions.  This avatar is my extension by-proxy.

There is a difference between Augmented Reality, which exists in the present day with apps like LAYAR, and Virtual Reality.  The layman should know the difference but If you don't...

Augmented reality (AR) is a live, direct or indirect, view of a physical, real-world environment whose elements are augmented by computer-generated sensory input such as sound, video, graphics or GPS data. It is related to a more general concept called mediated reality, in which a view of reality is modified (possibly even diminished rather than augmented) by a computer. As a result, the technology functions by enhancing one’s current perception of reality. By contrast, virtual reality replaces the real world with a simulated one. Augmentation is conventionally in real-time and in semantic context with environmental elements, such as sports scores on TV during a match. With the help of advanced AR technology (e.g. adding computer vision and object recognition) the information about the surrounding real world of the user becomes interactive and digitally manipulable. Artificial information about the environment and its objects can be overlaid on the real world.

Source:Mashable via Augmented Reality on Freebase, licensed under CC-BY 

So Augmented Reality is where you get the digital elements in the real world.  Sort of like being in the Holodeck.

Virtual reality or virtual realities (VR), also known as immersive multimedia or computer-simulated reality,^[1] is a computer technology that replicates an environment, real or imagined, and simulates a user's physical presence and environment in a way that allows the user to interact with it. Virtual realities artificially create sensory experience, which can include sight, touch, hearing, and smell.
Most up-to-date virtual realities are displayed either on a computer screen or with a special virtual reality headset, and some simulations include additional sensory information and focus on real sound through speakers or headphones targeted towards VR users. Some advanced haptic systems now include tactile information, generally known as force feedback in medical, gaming and military applications. Furthermore, virtual reality covers remote communication environments which provide virtual presence of users with the concepts of telepresence and telexistence or a virtual artifact (VA) either through the use of standard input devices such as a keyboard and mouse, or through multimodal devices such as a wired glove oromnidirectional treadmills. The immersive environment can be similar to the real world in order to create a lifelike experience—for example, in simulations for pilot or combat training—or it can differ significantly from reality, such as in VR games.

Source: Wikipedia 

TL:DR.

The two can be interchangeable at times, but they are really an extension of the same concept.  Changing ones' perception of the world.  AR changes how you view the real world and incorporates aspects into it that do not exist, such as UFO's or dragons.  Virtual Reality changes the reality you know.  You are inside of a different world, you are a different character than yourself.  And that is what I'm excited about.  The real world can be tough for anyone and rather than the escape of alcohol and drugs that many fall too, I'd like to see VAAR used to help people like that episode of Family Guy where Brian shows Pearl what their future would have been like.

The future is here, and while it has a way to go, I am reminded that the first computer ENIAC was completed in 1946.  That's 70 years ago.

The VR and AR  that I crave will exist in my lifetime and if they hurry up I might still be able to enjoy them.