What is Virtual Reality?

Meaning of “virtual” in the Cambridge Dictionary: “Something that is virtual can be done or seen using a computer and therefore without going anywhere or talking to anyone” Meaning of “reality”: the state of things as they are, rather than as they are imagined to be. Consequently, Virtual Reality(VR) is a computer-simulated state of things as they are. Our entire experience of things as they are is simply a combination of external sensory information, converted by our brain in internal state – senses. And if you can present your brain with properly made-up sensory information, your senses would also response to it properly. You would be presented with a version of reality that isn’t really there, but from your perspective it would be perceived as real. Something we would refer to as a virtual reality. In other words Virtual reality is the creation of a virtual environment presented to our senses in such a way that we experience it as if we were really there. An environment our brain would properly react to should be realistic, because our senses are evolved to provide us with a finely synchronized experience. That’s why Virtual Reality uses a host of technologies to achieve this goal and is a technically complex feat that has to account for our perception and cognition. Today VR comes in a few different forms: Google Cardboard, Samsung Gear VR, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Sony PlayStation VR with different price and communicative range.