virtual reality

English

Etymology

Calque of French réalité virtuelle. virtual +‎ reality

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈvɜː(ɹ)tʃuəl ɹiːˈælɪti/
  • Audio (US):(file)

Noun

virtual reality (countable and uncountable, plural virtual realities)

  2. (computing) A computer technology that simulates a real or imagined environment so that the user can interact with it as if physically present.
    Alternative form: VR (initialism)
    Coordinate terms: AR, augmented reality, MR, mixed reality, hybrid reality, extended reality, spatial computing, metaverse, CPS, cyber-physical system; RR, real reality, IRL
  3. (by extension, dated) A text adventure or multi-user dungeon.
    • 1990 December, Richard Bartle, Interactive Multi-User Computer Games‎[1]:
      When a player like Shotton's interviewee controls a persona in a MUA and becomes absorbed to such an extent that he is oblivious to the real world, concentrating only on the virtual reality, then the player and his persona fuse; he 'becomes' his persona in that MUA. As far as the player is concerned, things are happening not to the persona but to he himself. He can do things that are impossible in the real world, and be whoever he wants to be. That's the attraction.
    • 1993 April 7, Blackbriar, “Re: Invisibility, "MOOrape"”, in parcftp.xerox.com/pub/MOO/contrib/mail mailing list‎[2]:
      In the virtual reality, text is all there is. If you see `Blackbriar chuckles.' then that is the closest you're going to get to a real chuckle in this environment.
  4. (obsolete) Something conjectured which is effectively coming into existence.

Synonyms

  • virch (colloquial)
  • VR (abbreviation)

Derived terms

Translations

See also

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