From VR to AR 'Sword Art Online: Ordinal Scale' Takes the Next Step in Virtual Gaming

After immersing users in a virtual reality massively multiplayer online role-playing game (VRMMORPG) called Sword Art Online, users found that they couldn't log out of the game and it became a game of survival as if killed in the game, users were killed in the real world as well.

The anime series gives us a fantastic look at what VR gaming could potentially look like in the next couple of years as we have already started to experience the growing VR technologies in just the past couple of years. In no way is it even close to what we see in Sword Art Online: Ordinal Scale but it illustrates a world with extensive use of VR/AR and what potential dangers could arise with the use of new technology, as any good sci-fi film/series will show.

Within Ordinal Scale

What's nice about this film is that even if you don't follow the anime, you can still enjoy the film and get an understanding of what has happened previously in the anime series. Four years after the events of Sword Art Online and the FullDive system, a new system has been created to simulate reality while the users are still fully conscious, called Augma. Augma is an augmented reality system where the users wear what looks like bands around their head that allow them to experience virtual elements in the real world.

When game bosses from the previous game start appearing in the new ARMMORPG, Ordinal Scale, the two main characters, Asuna and Kirito, start to get worried that something is not right within the game.

From Film to Reality

Much like Pokemon Go, the Augma system and Ordinal scale immediately takes the world by storm as people are seen using the new technology everywhere. The moment Pokemon Go was introduced there were people out everywhere, of all ages, roaming around looking to take part in the game.

Just as Ordinal Scale shows how popular the Augma system is within the film, it's interesting to also see that Augma is seen as far superior to the FullDive system as everyone is constantly seen using the new system in every aspect of their lives.

Augma vs. FullDive

AR and VR are very different in terms of how they present the simulated reality as VR transports the mind into the simulated space as where AR shows the simulated reality in the reality we are in. It was then very logical for Sword Art Online to take this next step in virtual gaming with showing how AR can be a better alternative to the VR world, especially after the anime series showed the dangers of VR that is taken advantage of. The film itself shows that Augma could be seen used for fitness and health management, far superior to that of the FullDive system we see in the series.

In today's reality we are creating more forms of virtual reality with the many VR games that have come to be produced, as the technology to expand into the AR realm is not yet available. It will be very exciting to see what new technology we see in the next decade related to creating a simulated reality either it be through VR or AR means. We've already seen so many sci-fi films using the technology so it's just a matter of time until we have the means to combine our reality with virtual worlds.

Which would you prefer? Augma or FullDive? Check out Sword Art Online: Ordinal Scale and the series on Crunchyroll.