Technical jargon: What does "XR" actually mean?

Anyone who would have predicted the current situation in the world a year or two ago would probably be talking about extended reality today. Or of course of XR.

It's unimaginable what's happening right now in terms of politics, health, the economy and society. But that's not what XR is about. The thing is supposed to help enhance our perception by providing impulses in a multidimensional environment that combines real and virtual elements. We've already had that, some may think, and it hasn't really worked (yet).

Yes, virtual reality was the first augmented reality of its kind to be used in our industry. Primarily in real estate, where potential buyers could walk through condos with VR goggles that didn't even exist yet. The enthusiasm was initially huge, but the computing power was unfortunately far too small, so many people turned away wearily, preferring to use classic plans or wooden models to try to imagine what their dream apartment might look like.

The big sister of augmented reality

Then came augmented reality, this tongue-twister that, by its very name, kept the euphoria in the German-speaking world in check. Because what cannot be named is not properly understood, let alone applied. Nevertheless, in some industries - especially in the media - it was seen for a while as a beacon of hope for taking the lack of attractiveness of advertisements to a new dimension. At the same time, Google Glasses were gloatingly described as ineffectual by journos in the same media, and the breakthrough has still not happened.

And now Extended Reality is the Next Big Thing, in that in addition to virtual and real images, sensory stimuli that can be experienced in real life are digitally enhanced and can thus be perceived more intensively. It's an extension of the Disney World or Museum of Transport experience with its wobbly seats and nauseating water spray. Digital stimuli are supposed to entice you to buy and, for example, make you feel the imposing weight of the Rolex watch on your arm before you even own it. In short: "The Latest Shit," which was presented all-digital for the first time at CES 21 the week before last - thanks to Corona. Sounds promising, and encompasses just about anything that could further enrich our perceptions: Mixed Reality (MR), Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) or even Augmented Virtuality (AV), to make it even more complicated. But the current lived reality is already complicated enough, and so many will probably still hold back a bit with the application.