In the context of virtual reality (VR), field of view (FOV) is a term that represents how much of the virtual world a learner can see around them at once. With a wide FOV, the learner can see more within their VR experience, likely feeling more immersed. The more narrow the FOV, the less the learner can see around themselves.
While an individual learner’s FOV may vary based on the size of the lenses, lens positioning, and other factors, VR headsets typically have a defined FOV degree that learners can expect.
Ready to learn more about field of view (FOV)? Let’s dive into what field of view is and a diagram of it in action with virtual reality (VR).
Key Points
- Field of view (FOV) in virtual reality (VR) indicates how much of the virtual world a learner can see at once, affecting immersion.
- FOV can vary based on factors such as lens size, positioning, and whether the learner wears glasses, with typical headset FOV degrees ranging from 89° to 120°.
- The closer a headset’s FOV is to the human eye’s horizontal FOV of about 135°, the more immersive the VR experience is likely to be.
Table of Contents
What Is Field Of View?
In the context of virtual reality (VR), field of view (FOV) is a term that represents how much of the virtual world a learner can see around them at once. With a wide FOV, the learner can see more within their VR experience, likely feeling more immersed. The more narrow the FOV, the less the learner can see around themselves.
It can be helpful to think of FOV in the following way: If you were to put your head inside of a cardboard box with only a rectangular cutout in front of you to view the world from, your FOV represents how much of the world you can see in either direction through the cutout.
An individual learner’s FOV may vary based on the following factors:
- The size of the lenses
- Lens positioning within the headset
- Whether or not the learner wears glasses
- The magnification of the lenses within the headset
VR headsets typically have a defined FOV degree that learners can expect. This degree represents the angle a learner can view out from. The Oculus Quest 2 generally has a FOV of 89°. The Pico Neo 3 Pro has a larger FOV compared to the Oculus Quest 2 at 98°. With the widest FOV, the VIVE Focus 3 has a FOV of up to 120°.
As a baseline for comparison, the horizontal FOV for the human eye is about 135°. As the FOV of each headset increases toward the FOV of our eyes, learners will likely feel more immersed in their VR experience as it more closely represents their real-life FOV.
