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For development decisions, describe what the user sees and how the system understands and responds to the space. Spatial computing is a broad way to frame apps and interaction in three-dimensional space; augmented reality (AR) adds digital content to a view of the physical world; virtual reality (VR) replaces or occludes that view with a digital environment; and mixed reality (MR) combines or transitions between physical and digital environments. These labels overlap across vendors, so the implementation should follow the device’s actual display, sensing, input, and runtime capabilities.
How the terms differ in practice
The most useful first distinction is the user’s view: can they see the physical environment, is it combined with digital content, or is it replaced by a virtual scene? That observable behavior is more actionable than a product label.
| Term | What it describes | Developer implication |
|---|---|---|
| Spatial computing | A computing and interaction environment that situates apps in three-dimensional space. Apple uses the term in its visionOS documentation; this is not a single universally accepted industry definition. | Plan for spatial presentation and interaction on the platform in question. Apple’s visionOS development path is specific to its platform. Apple visionOS documentation. |
| AR | Digital 2D or 3D elements are added to a live view of the physical world, so they appear to inhabit it. | Determine which motion tracking, world tracking, and scene-understanding capabilities the experience needs. Apple describes these capabilities as part of ARKit. Apple ARKit documentation. |
| VR | The user’s view is occluded to present an immersive digital experience. | Design around a virtual environment rather than assuming that the user can see the room. Microsoft’s mixed-reality overview. |
| MR | Microsoft describes MR as blending physical and digital worlds, including experiences that transition between AR and VR. | Specify how the physical environment and digital content interact, and which mapping, anchor, tracking, input, and audio capabilities the target supports. This spectrum framing is Microsoft’s account, not the only industry taxonomy. Microsoft’s mixed-reality overview. |
| XR | A collective term often used for AR and VR platforms and devices. OpenXR is a developer API standard for accessing XR platforms, not an engine. | OpenXR can offer a shared route to device features through engines, but it does not guarantee identical capabilities or behavior across devices. Microsoft OpenXR documentation. |
What to decide before choosing a development path
1. Define the view the user gets
State whether the physical world remains visible, is combined with digital elements, or is occluded by a virtual environment. This clarifies whether the experience is AR-like, VR-like, or somewhere along an MR spectrum, regardless of the label used in product copy.
2. List the spatial capabilities the experience depends on
For content that must stay aligned with a room, surface, or object, identify the required environmental understanding and tracking. Then separately specify interaction needs such as hands, gaze or eye tracking, speech, controllers, and spatial audio. Availability depends on the target device and runtime; do not infer support from the category name alone. Apple documents motion and world tracking and scene understanding for ARKit, while Microsoft’s MR overview discusses spatial mapping, anchors, hand and eye tracking, speech input, and spatial sound.
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3. Match the stack to the target platform
For visionOS, Apple says development requires a Mac with Apple silicon and describes SwiftUI as the way to take advantage of platform immersion. Apple also describes adding a visionOS destination to an existing iOS or iPadOS app, with platform-specific work where needed. Check Apple’s current visionOS documentation for platform guidance and prerequisites.
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Microsoft describes OpenXR as a route for engines such as Unity and Unreal to access features across the mixed-reality spectrum. Shared APIs can help with portability, but platform-specific extensions and native capabilities may still be important. Check feature support and runtime behavior on every target device using the OpenXR documentation and the relevant vendor documentation.
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A practical comparison checklist
Use these questions when comparing a device, runtime, or proposed experience. Record answers for each target rather than assuming one platform’s capabilities carry over to another.
- Physical-world visibility: Is the environment directly visible, camera-mediated or blended with digital content, or occluded?
- Environmental understanding: Can the system map space, track surfaces or objects, and place anchors? Which of those functions does the app actually require?
- Input and interaction: Which supported inputs are needed—hands, gaze, speech, controllers, or spatial audio?
- App and engine stack: Is the app built around platform frameworks such as ARKit or visionOS, or through an engine and an API path such as OpenXR?
- Portability and feature access: Which code and interactions can be shared, and which rely on device-specific APIs, extensions, or runtime behavior?
- Development prerequisites: For visionOS, Apple specifies a Mac with Apple silicon. Verify prerequisites for other targets in their current vendor documentation.
How to describe the experience accurately
In a product brief or technical specification, lead with what the user sees and does, then name the platform terminology where useful. For example, specify that content is anchored to a visible room and responds to hand input if those are real requirements; do not call an experience “mixed reality” as if that label alone guarantees room mapping or hand tracking.
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Apple’s visionOS materials use “spatial computing,” while Microsoft’s MR documentation presents a spectrum from AR to VR. Those naming choices reflect vendor framing; they do not determine an app’s implementation. Confirm the specific display, tracking, input, API, and runtime behavior for each intended device.
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