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virtual reality

/ˌˈvʌrtʃ(əw)əl riˌælədi/
/ˈvʌtʃuəl riˈælɪti/
IPA guide

Other forms: virtual realities

Virtual reality is a kind of computer technology that makes you feel like you're truly in another environment. A virtual reality game in which you're walking on a high, narrow bridge can actually make you feel dizzy.

The term virtual reality was first used in the late 1980s to describe this kind of immersive experience — earlier, it had appeared in science fiction. Today's virtual reality is used for education and entertainment. Even if you'll never have the chance to travel to India, you can explore Indian landscapes using virtual reality and experience the sounds, images, and even the physical sensations of being there. Virtual reality headsets present these realistic scenes in three dimensions and 360 degrees.

Definitions of virtual reality
  1. noun
    a hypothetical three-dimensional visual world created by a computer; user wears special goggles and fiber optic gloves etc., and can enter and move about in this world and interact with objects as if inside it
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    type of:
    computer game, video game
    a game played against a computer
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