# Difference between "XR" for "Extended Reality" i.e. Augmented/Mixed/Virtual Reality, and "X Reality"

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-xr-for-extended-reality-i-e-augmented-mixed-virtual-reality-and-x-reality/826485>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 21, 2018, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-xr-for-extended-reality-i-e-augmented-mixed-virtual-reality-and-x-reality/826485 "2018-12-21T10:01:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![squish7](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squish7/32/104_2.png) [@squish7](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squish7)\
**Post date:** [December 21, 2018, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-xr-for-extended-reality-i-e-augmented-mixed-virtual-reality-and-x-reality/826485/1 "2018-12-21T10:01:10Z")

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I’m in love with the term “XR” as meaning “Extended Reality”, a general category for the union of Aumented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR), and Virtual Reality. This is a growing term and I believe it will come into common usage as AR/MR/VR gets more and more popular. But I’m confused as to the term “X Reality” which also uses the term “XR”. The Wikipedia article is very confusing to me. Can anyone shed some light on what “X Reality” is and whether it’s likely to cause confusion in the scope of people using the term “XR” to refer to AR/MR/VR like I like?

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**Author:** ![squish7](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squish7/32/104_2.png) [@squish7](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squish7)\
**Post date:** [December 21, 2018, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-xr-for-extended-reality-i-e-augmented-mixed-virtual-reality-and-x-reality/826485/2 "2018-12-21T11:17:05Z")

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Researching a bit more, I think they’re generally the same thing. I’m still open to anyone’s opinions on this matter, though. Here’s a good vid that explains “X Reality” but doesn’t specifically use the term “Extended Reality”  
[Here’s a vid that I think explains the term X reality well.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0d_liG40ypM)  
Basically I think “XR” is going to become a very common way of saying “AR/MR/VR/etc”

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**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\
**Post date:** [December 21, 2018, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-xr-for-extended-reality-i-e-augmented-mixed-virtual-reality-and-x-reality/826485/3 "2018-12-21T14:48:09Z")

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It doesn’t didn’t stand for anything, its just “X” reality. The “alphabet soup” of different …R acronyms was becoming unwieldy (first Augmented Reality AR, then Mixed Reality MR). So the term XR was coined to cover all of them.  
Unity support this interpretation, among others:

> [@](#):
>
> Here the ‘X’ can be seen as a placeholder for V(R), A(R) or M(R), though it also represents an undefined or variable quality/quantity

[https://unity3d.com/what-is-xr-glossary](https://unity3d.com/what-is-xr-glossary)