What is Virtual Reality (VR)?

Defining Virtual Reality can be as complex as the experience itself. VR systems are intricate combinations of technology and human perception. It is commonly described as an artificial environment controlled, at least partially, by user interactions, experienced through computer-generated sensory input such as sights and sounds. A simpler definition characterizes VR as an artificial environment experienced through various senses, created by a computer and accessed through a display, most commonly a Head-Mounted Display (HMD). An HMD consists of large glasses that project two separate images, one to each eye, creating the convincing illusion of a three-dimensional scene surrounding the user. In addition to cutting-edge graphics, a VR system typically includes one or more input devices such as controllers, gloves, or motion trackers.

In the 1980s, Jaron Lanier introduced the term "Virtual Reality" (VR). Virtual Reality enjoyed initial popularity during the 1980s and 1990s but quickly lost momentum due to technological limitations and high costs. At the time, the primary areas of research were focused on engineering, aeronautics, and visual perception. However, in 2014, Facebook (now Meta) acquired the start-up company Oculus, signaling the start of a new chapter for Virtual Reality. Over recent years, technological advances have made VR more affordable and accessible. This has led to a growing interest in immersive technologies like augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR). Today, Virtual Reality (VR) encompasses a variety of technologies, including virtual worlds (VW), massive multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs), virtual collaborative environments, cave automatic virtual environments (CAVE), smartphone-based static VR, and Head-Mounted Displays (HMDs).

Short blog post on VR history and where we are now is available here.

Taxonomy of Definitions

Debates on correct definitions of virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality and where they all fit within the extended reality has been ongoing for years. Currently, there is still no one unified way to discuss immersive technology, however, several attempts have been made.

Next activity is designed to get you thinking about the complexity of this terminology and decide on which one of the definitions you prefer.

To get you started take a look at these papers discussing difficulties in defining virtual reality within the whole immersive spectrum:

A unified conceptual model of immersive experience in extended reality

A Call to Unify Definitions of Virtual Reality

What is Virtual Reality? A healthcare-focused systematic review of definitions

Applications of Virtual Reality (VR) in Autism Research: Current trends and taxonomy of definitions

Activity: What is Virtual Reality?

Read the papers above and extract a few keywords on what you think virtual reality is. Enter your keywords below in the collective word cloud.

You can also use this template to help you summarize these papers for revision.

The capabilities of VR systems vary significantly based on the power of the hardware and the quality of the virtual world they create. Key features of all VR systems include immersion, interaction, and a sense of presence. Immersion refers to how effectively the technology isolates the user from reality, allowing them to interact with virtual objects in real-time. Immersion is closely linked to the system's hardware capabilities. Together, immersion and interaction foster a sense of presence, the psychological feeling of "being there" in a virtual environment, even though the user is physically located in the real world. Virtual Reality technologies can generate highly immersive, realistic, and secure environments. In the past decade, various fields of psychology have increasingly embraced this technology to conduct controlled and ecologically valid experiments.