Learning

The Real-World Sucks!: Extended Reality (XR)

Written by Almas Malik - Loughborough Student (October 2026)

What do you do for fun? It’s safe to assume that most students consider sport their main stress relief, literally showcased by Loughborough University’s wide range of facilities available for physical and indoor recreation. But I would argue an option much less physically demanding is becoming increasingly attractive as technology rapidly develops: social media.

Think: doomscrolling, or texting and calling. Though, the latter is just as social as meeting up with a friend (but is socialness measured purely by frequency?). Social media is far more accessible as we are no longer confined by the real world’s limitations of distance and money to converse with one another. Thus, making it crucial for human connection. Most – if not all – consequently rely on the technology that makes social media more functional and enjoyable: known as Extended Reality.

What is Extended Reality?

Extended Reality (XR for short) is an umbrella term for immersive technologies (Casini, 2022) intended to combine with or mirror the physical world. The GAO (2022) notes that these all offer “different degrees of sensory immersion and interaction” despite whatever similar purpose they serve in providing immersive online experiences. Core examples include Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and Mixed Reality (MR) which can be used by anyone for entertainment purposes.

Though, there are arguably more significant benefits tailored to certain members of society. For instance, VR simulations known as Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) (PsyTechVR, 2026), have been developed as a means against severe Arachnophobia; far more accessible as it takes place in the comfort of the patient’s own home. Perhaps, most beneficial during the early stages of their treatment in easing them into acceptance as opposed to forcing them cold turkey into – what the phobia perceives as – a hostile environment. This therapy is also applaudingly accessible to those with physical accessibility needs such as wheelchair users, who may find it difficult to reach certain locations regardless of the severity of their anxiety. In fact, its effectiveness is so evident that it’s now approved by NICE (NIHR, 2023) and recommended as an NHS service for the general public’s accessibility.

However, despite all these positives, Ward (2022) points out the socio-economic disadvantages of VR technology. It’s estimated that as of 2022, “42 million Americans don’t even have the ability to purchase broadband internet,” only increasing as the income gap widened since, “and tens of millions […] have a disability that impacts their use of the internet, from gripping a mouse […] to visual, auditory and cognitive impairments.” This poses an even greater problem when considering other countries’ statistics where the income gap may be wider or diagnoses less prevalent. – VRET is not as accessible as believed.

Still, I think it’s naïve – dare I say even cruel – not to recognise the positive impacts of VRET (and VR, by proxy) on many people. Perhaps, instead of slandering XR technology, we can work to improve it and make it fully accessible. To do that, I think there must be a fundamental understanding of how Extended Reality actually works to then critique and develop it. Hence, I’ve broken down the processes of the three core XR technologies (my sources suggest that even this is up to debate; any opinion is simply informed by secondary research and is contingent on any new findings post publication) and put them into context through their most common uses, which of course isn’t exhaustive.

How Does it Work?

1. Virtual Reality

VR entails a fully virtual and interactive environment from a 3D perspective. In the context of gaming, it seems to be most popular in horror (Argüello and Carr, 2025) – like the apocalyptic shooting games in most arcades. This is fully achieved by “a combination of hardware, software, and sensor technology” (Taylor, 2026) in physical equipment outside of a 2D computer screen; typically, a headset. Literally concealing the user’s real-world environment; what might be their own home becomes a ruined aircraft to their sight, and – with more recent developments – even their hearing.

The headset displays a 3D environment, perhaps the ruins of said aircraft, and the software inside analyses and processes the user’s eye movement in updating the environment accordingly. If you look left, you are shown the left side of the aircraft as if you’re actually there. This principle applies to every movement tracked by the motion tracking sensors inside that detect head movements and translate them into the virtual world, allowing users to look around naturally.

The simulation itself is presented by an HMD with small screens known as display panels placed at direct eye level. These are either an OLED or LCD (LCD being better as it has a more complex structure (Helstrom, 2017) designed for close viewing – reason being that these screens’ resolution is much higher than that of a smartphone for maximum immersion.

Another important component of VR is head tracking, usually accomplished by a combination of an accelerometer (measuring acceleration of the head), gyroscope (assisting stability) and magnetometer (measuring magnetic field). These all translate your head’s rotational movement into the virtual world and are placed in multiple IMUs typically located in the headset itself, alongside magnetic and optical trackers.

Finally, just like computers, VR requires a CPU to execute stored instructions, and a GPU to render the virtual world. However, VR requires these to be much more powerful than traditional PC gaming as it needs to be powerful enough to render two high-resolution images at a minimum of 60 frames per second. To avoid motion sickness, the system needs to be able to understand head movement and then adjust the displayed virtual environment without a significant lag. These rendering engines themselves are responsible for generating the 3D images displayed, using a ‘rasterization’ technique that converts the 3D models and world data into a series of 2D ‘frames’.

2. Augmented Reality

AR does not create a fully virtual world but instead enhances the natural world with computer-generated input. These range from “sound to video, to graphics to GPS overlays and more—in digital content, which responds [to] movement.” (IxDF, N.D.) Today, AR is used by clothing stores to allow customers the ease of trying on products virtually, but another game example is ‘Pokémon Go’ (Bosner and Chandler, 2024). The smartphone camera projects characters as a digital overlay in the user’s real-world environment. However, unlike VR, the environment itself is not digital and remains fully natural. Therefore, there can only be limited interaction between the virtual overlay and real background, which is why these characters are for the most part unaffected by the user’s surroundings.
The camera-equipped hardware (IBM, N.D.) receives a “stream of video content from a user’s field of vision” using the same motion sensers as VR. But AR may additionally utilise GPS and lasers in tracking the user’s exact position.

AR software then scans and processes this environment. Perhaps, by connecting to an object’s ‘Digital Twin;’ a “digital representation of a real-world [allowing] a 2-way communication” (dstl, 2025). Thus, mimicking the real-world counterpart’s relevant aspects in predicting what the real entity would do to a given stimulus. For example, if presented with a flat ground, the Pokémon character can run on it and position itself in front of larger objects that the digital twin may have stored regarding its interactions with the natural world based on size. Only the physical system’s information can be communicated to the digital twin, however, as it is a separate system entirely that informs the greater control system without being an integral component.

At last, the AR device renders the information and displays it with computer-generated content as if the digital object is physically present. These interactions with the real world are determined by the user, through physical gestures through the touchscreen (or sometimes voice command) being received by the AR software to then manipulate the digital object. If you swipe a Poké Ball against common creatures, the digital display will change accordingly and ‘capture’ the character.

3. Mixed Reality

MR can be seen as a mixture of VR and AR –possessing aspects of both types of technology from uses to equipment. But one must note that MR is far more interactive with the natural environment than AR – there is a larger threshold for interaction, like in the earlier case of Social Media filters. Just like AR, MR relies on a camera device to process real-world elements e.g. one’s face. The device will use sensors to scan the physical world in creating a 3D ‘point cloud’ that represents this (a form of digital twin) through Computer Vision: “technology that allows a computer to make sense of visual information […] and take corresponding action” (Coursera Staff, 2025) Essentially, a 3D diagram of your facial features is created.

This digital 3D filter is rendered by the GPU (just as in VR) to manifest onto the user’s face, where input systems allow one to interact with the digital content through gestures (moving your face). But to achieve maximum accuracy – for the filter (digital object) to actually appear onto the user’s face (physical object) without floating in front of it – Spatial Persistence is necessary (scienceinsights, 2026). This works through spatial anchors: digital pins tied to specific coordinates in the camera’s map of the environment/face that can be reused as the data is now stored. Ergo, using a combination of both VR and AR technology to create a fully interactive relationship between the real world and digital world.

Bibliography:
Argüello, D.N. and Carr, J. (2025) 34 Best VR Games To Immerse Yourself Within In 2026, GameSpot. [online] Available at: < 34 Best VR Games To Immerse Yourself Within In 2026 - GameSpot > [Accessed 23 September 2026]
Bosner, K and Chandler, N. (2024) What is Augmented Reality?, howstuffworks. [online] Available at: < How Augmented Reality Works | HowStuffWorks > [Accessed 23 September 2026]
Casino, M. (2022) Extended Reality for Smart Building Operation and Maintenance: A Review, Energy Consumption in a Smart City, (2022), 15(10). Available at: < https://doi.org/10.3390/en15103785 >
dstl. (2025) Found in GOV.UK. (2026) Digital Twin (Official), GOV.UK. [online] Available at: < Digital Twin (official) - GOV.UK > [Accessed 24 September 2026]
Coursera Staff. (2025) What is Mixed Reality?, Coursera. [online] Available at: < What Is Mixed Reality? | Coursera > [Accessed 24 September 2026]
GAO. (2022) Found in Aaronson, S and Zable, A. (2024). Defining Immersive Technologies, Facing Reality: Canada Needs to Think about Extended Reality and AI, (Mar. 1, 2024), pp. 3-5. Available at: < https://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep58148.7 >
Hellstrom, J. (2017) OLED OLED OLED OLED! OLED! OLED!, PC Perspective. [online] Available at: < OLED OLED OLED OLED! OLED! OLED! - PC Perspective> [Accessed 22 September 2026]
IxDF. (N.D.) What is Augmented Reality (AR)?, IxDF. [online] Available at: < What is Augmented Reality (AR)? — updated 2026 | IxDF > [Accessed 22 September 2026]
IBM. (N.D.) What is augmented reality?, IBM. [online] Available at: < What is Augmented Reality? | IBM > [Accessed 23 September 2026]
PsyTechVR. (2026) Overcoming Fear of Spiders: Arachnophobia Treatment and Therapy, PsyTechVR. [online] Available at: < PsyTech VR | Clinical VR Therapy Software for Mental Health Professionals > [Accessed 22 September 2026]
NIHR. (2023) NIHR-funded Virtual Reality treatment recommended for use in NHS, NIHR. [online] Available at: < NIHR-funded Virtual Reality treatment recommended for use in NHS | NIHR > [Accessed 22 September 2026]
scienceinsights. (2026) How Does Mixed Reality Work: The Full Tech Loop, scienceinsights. [online] Available at: < How Does Mixed Reality Work: The Full Tech Loop - ScienceInsights > [Accessed 24 September 2026]
Taylor, J. (2026) How Does VR Work?, GO FOR VR. [online] Available at: < How Does VR Work? 2026 Complete Guide > [Accessed 23 September 2026]
Ward, A. (2022) Found in Anderson, J and Rainie, L. (2022) 8. More potential negatives of the advancement of XR, The Metaverse in 2040, (June. 30, 2022), pp. 176-188. Available at: < Some potential negatives of the advancement of XR | Pew Research Center >

Contact: almasm220106@gmail.com almas.malik6

^ Writer for Digital Technologies Network