What is reality? This philosophical question that has plagued mankind since they first began to realize there were things outside of their understanding still continues to make college grads ponder in coffeehouses. While they ponder, here are some altered states of reality.
Via augmented reality, you can hear and see (via an AR receiver program that can broadcast to AR-receptive glasses, earpieces, gloves, or other equipment) simulated modifications to the real world, and even interact with them - for example, the mall's “You Are Here” map may include context-sensitive touch-points that will give you more information about a store by touching it, including a friendly commercial jingle; the corporate expo will augment its convention booths with virtual elements to stand out and draw attention; GPS mapping systems can project directions; anything can provide a heads-up display if you're inclined to want one.
In 2051, the first viable simsense protocols became available, allowing anyone who wanted a more immersive experience than even augmented reality and trivideo could provide to jack in and witness the virtual world in a way that encompassed all of the senses at once by manipulating the mind. While the most direct way to this end is implantation of neural adjusters to facilitate better communication, even salarymen and fast food fry jockeys can put on a helmet, sit comfortably, and lose themselves in a virtual game or movie without expensive augmentations. On the other hand, place one of those salarymen in a scenario where his helmet rig is up against someone plugged directly into the machinery, and his chances of winning the game go down drastically.
There are some things out there that man was not meant to really explore. Most scientists call bullshit on that statement, but the Astral Plane, the realm of departed spirits, is one that is not yet thoroughly understood. Are the things that live here spirits? Demons? Something else? Certain psis report being able to glimpse into this odd realm, sometimes to their peril.