There are many definitions when it comes to Virtual Reality. Many call it a technology. Some call it an experience. A few call it an environment. The reason for such mess is because Virtual Reality is still fairly new and more applications are yet to be found. In the end, the exact definition doesn’t matter but how we make use of Virtual Reality is what matters. Regardless, we still need to have an idea of what Virtual Reality is.
Virtual Reality is an immersive experience in a simulated environment via artificial stimuli. It also can be the technology behind this experience. We may also refer to the simulated environment as a Virtual Reality.
Literally, virtual means ‘near’ and reality is the state of something being real. Virtual Reality is also the state of something close to reality – but never will be the reality. Virtual also could be something that’s digital – a digital reality.
The definition mentioned may seem abstract and daunting. Lets break it down.
Experience is the process of gaining knowledge by feeling things. Feeling is enabled through our senses such as sight, hear and touch. On the other hand, immersive is a description of something that encapsulates a person so that they feel fully involved.
Generally, an immersive experience is the process of feeling something by encapsulating yourself in it. Likewise, a Virtual Reality experience encapsulates people using head mounted devices – e.g. Meta Quest to feel a simulated world. In the future, we may not need head mounted devices. We may have developed technology that trigger our brain to hallucinate a virtual world.
Stimulus (plural: stimuli) is anything that makes our body react. Artificial stimuli are stimuli made by humans or machines. We could further enhance Virtual Reality by introducing artificial stimuli – provided we have feasible technology. We are close to touch sensation in Virtual Reality. Companies like Meta and HaptX are making progress on haptic gloves – to simulate touch by displacing skin and inhibiting hand movements.
A simulated environment is a surrounding that immitate characteristics of a world – not necessarily our world. Characteristics includes the physics, design of objects and characters.
To put it together, Virtual Reality is when you find yourself encapsulated in a virtual world through devices that make it seem like a real world. Virtual Reality can be the technology behind this. It also can be the virtual world itself.