AR vs VR: Which should you choose and why? (Mixed reality is in here too)

AR stands for augmented reality, and its name gives us a pretty clear idea of what it does – it augments your world by adding digital imagery to it.

To get into augmented reality you'll normally buy a set of AR glasses, such as the Rokid Max or Nreal Air, which are reasonably affordable (sub-$400), lightweight, and powered by either your smartphone, PC, or console.

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They project images taken from those devices onto the lenses, which are right in front of your eyes, so you see the real world, but also – a kind of a digital TV screen over it!

This makes AR glasses much more convenient than, say, a TV or a tablet, as you can easily pocket that huge virtual display when you're done with it, and you can use it anywhere – on a train, or even a tightly-packed plane flight – no hassle.

While AR glasses are pretty affordable compared to something more intricate, which we'll get into, they do have some drawbacks. One being that they don't usually have their own power supply, meaning they'll either have to connect with a wire to your smartphone, draining its battery, or to your laptop, or to a PC or console that's already connected to an outlet.

Also, cheaper AR glasses may lack intricate head tracking or any mixed reality features, meaning all you get is essentially a virtual screen for your other smart devices.

Speaking of mixed reality, let's explain that one.

What is mixed reality?

Mixed reality (a.k.a. MR) is seemingly quite similar to AR, and is again experienced with devices that resemble AR glasses, but mixed reality glasses usually have their own built-in battery, as well as sensors for tracking your head's position and more; which often includes cameras.

Their tracking capabilities help mixed reality headsets add digital objects over your real world field of view in a more immersive way, as those objects will behave as if part of your real environment.

That means a virtual TV screen, for example, won't just be fixed to your field of view like a sticker taped to your glasses, but can be fixed to a real-world wall or table in your surroundings, and the mixed reality headset will try to keep it where it should realistically stay as you move your head and turn around. Just like a real TV attached to a wall, or standing on a table.

The Microsoft HoloLens 2 is a popular example of a mixed reality headset. Here's a great video by the company, showing exactly what mixed reality headsets can do, and what they're often used for:

All of those sensors, cameras, and their built-in battery, however, make mixed reality headsets bulkier and way more expensive than AR glasses. With that in mind, mixed reality headsets remain most commonly used by enterprises, and not so much the average consumer.

The HoloLens 2, for example, costs a pretty hefty $3,500 for the base model, and the company does target it to industry professionals – be it people and teams in healthcare, manufacturing or education.

That's not to say mixed reality headsets don't have the potential to be used for gaming and casual entertainment too; it's just that those aren't their main use cases, by far, at least not currently.

Now let's continue with what's exactly for entertainment, and quite popular, particularly with gamers looking for a whole new experience…

What is VR?

VR stands for virtual reality, and like the name suggests, it fully immerses you into a virtual world, completely blocking your view of the real one.

Experiencing VR usually involves buying a VR headset like the Meta Quest 2, and either using it standalone (if it has that capability) or by hooking it to your gaming PC. Certain gaming consoles, like the PlayStation 5, also have their own VR headsets, sold separately, such as the PSVR2.

VR is most commonly used for VR gaming; playing games that were specifically made for VR, and support the particular headset that one's using, for the best experience.



Still, VR has also historically been used for training professionals, such as pilots and drivers, in a safe environment.

VR technology isn't new, but it started getting notably more affordable and accessible in recent years, arguably since the launch of the first Oculus Rift back in 2012.

And by now, in 2023 headsets like the Quest 2 and upcoming Quest 3 are making VR extremely accessible, due to their ease of use and starting price of $400.

Check out our list of the best VR headsets to get right now, if you're looking to get into VR. You may also be interested to see the best Quest 2 VR games to play right now.

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Which should you choose – AR, mixed reality, or VR?

You should choose AR glasses if you need a compact, affordable, large virtual display for your phone or PC. By letting you see the real world while projecting a huge virtual screen that can play your favorite movies, YouTube videos, or even games, AR glasses are perfect for people who are often on the go, and would benefit from not having to carry around a huge tablet or a laptop.

You should choose mixed reality if you're a business that can benefit from training your employees using this technology, or at the very least – you're a tech enthusiast or developer who's interested in mixed reality particularly.

Mixed reality is quite hard to recommend to the everyday consumer right now, but with the advent of Apple's mixed reality headset, this technology may become pretty popular and vastly more accessible soon enough, so let's see what happens later this year.

You should choose VR if you're a gamer who wants to experience playing PC or console games in a whole new way – by getting fully immersed into the virtual world of your games. VR headsets can also be used for watching movies or even basic work, but due to their bulky design, they're not suitable for use outdoors like AR glasses are, nor as easy to carry around.

So right now VR headsets are best recommended (and highly recommended!) to gamers who want a new experience. Games like Skyrim VR, Beat Saver, Half-Life: Alyx, No Man's Sky, Minecraft VR, and many more, are definitely worth experiencing.

Check out our Quest 2 review if you wish to learn more about the most popular VR headset right now, and what you can do with it.