The XR Spectrum
Paul Milgram's Reality-Virtuality Continuum spans physical reality through Mixed Reality to full Virtual Reality. Augmented Reality overlays digital onto the physical; Mixed Reality anchors digital objects to physical surfaces; VR replaces perception entirely. Move the slider to explore the continuum.
Spatial Computing
Spatial computing anchors digital objects to physical space using simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM). Anchor points persist across sessions; planes are detected for surface placement; a mesh represents the physical environment as navigable geometry. Move cursor to orbit the room.
360° Capture & Projection
360° cameras capture the full sphere simultaneously using fisheye lenses and computational stitching. Equirectangular projection maps the sphere to a 2:1 rectangular image that can be rendered as a skybox or reprojected for any viewing direction. Drag to navigate the projection below.
Headset Ecosystem
The XR headset landscape spans standalone mobile compute (Quest), tethered high-fidelity PC VR (Valve Index, Pimax), mixed reality passthrough (Apple Vision Pro, Quest 3), and enterprise AR (HoloLens, Magic Leap). Click a headset to inspect its capability profile.
Display Technology
XR displays span LCD, OLED, microOLED, and laser projection. Key parameters are resolution per eye, refresh rate, field of view, lens type (fresnel, pancake, birdbath), and pixel density (PPD). The vergence-accommodation conflict — where eye focus distance and convergence plane diverge — remains the core optical challenge.
Spatial Audio
Head-Related Transfer Functions (HRTFs) model how the ears, head, and pinnae shape sound before it reaches the eardrums. Convolving a mono audio source with direction-dependent HRTFs creates the perception of sound at any 3D position. Move cursor to reposition the audio source.
Artists & Researchers
Immersive media sits at the intersection of technology, storytelling, embodiment, and neuroscience — practitioners spanning creative VR directors, spatial computing engineers, installation artists, and academic researchers.
Glossary
Core terminology spanning XR hardware, spatial computing, display optics, tracking systems, and immersive content production.