The VR Glossary

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Virtual Reality or VR is here and with it comes a whole new vocabulary. To understand that vocabulary, we have collected the terms that define the world of VR.

Whenever necessary we will update this list.

A

Active Shutter 3D
It is a technique to display the 3D stereoscopic images by showing the left eye image and the right eye image alternately in a very fast manner.

Anaglyph
It is a method to create the illusion of three-dimensional image with depth perspective by combining the right-eye-view image and left-eye-view image in one single image.

AR a.k.a Augmented Reality
It is a technology or method to combine or integrate the virtual or digital objects with the live environment and real surrounding.

Avatar
It is a representation of the people or user in the virtual environment in the form of virtual figure, icon or character.

D

Data Glove
It is a type of glove embedded with sensors that can sense the movement of hands which can then be use to manipulate or move the objects in the virtual environment. Also known as wired glove.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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E

Eye tracking

Eyetracking is similar to headtracking, but matches leans on where the user’s eyes are looking. So for example, there’s an HMD (you learned this earlier!) called FOVE that integrates eye tracking into their headset. In their demo, the user can aim a weapon (it looks like a laser) by looking in a different direction. Alternatively, a game like Rocket Toss relies on the user aiming with his or her head to determine the direction of rings.

F

Field of view (FOV)

Field of view is the angle of degrees in a visual field. Having a higher field of view is important because it contributes to the user having a feeling of immersion in a VR experience. The viewing angle for a healthy human eye is about 200 degrees. So, the bigger that angle is, the more immersive it feels.

H

Haptics
This is a kind of technology that focus on the sense of touch where it simulates the feeling of touching or having contact with the virtual objects by applying the vibrations, forces and motions to the body part of the users.

HMD a.k.a Head-Mounted Display
It is a device that you put or wear on your head which can display the virtual reality environment to your eyes.

Holography
It is a technique to display the three-dimensional objects that can be viewed correctly from any direction or angle hence giving the illusion that the objects are really there.

Head tracking

Speaking of head tracking, this term refers to the sensors that keep up with the movement of the user’s head and move the images being displayed so that they match the position of the head. In short, if you’re wearing an Oculus Rift, for example, head tracking is what lets you look to the left, right, up, or down, and see the world that’s been built in those directions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

J

Judder

Outside of virtual reality, judder is a significant shaking. But as for VR, Oculus’ CTO Michael Abrash defined it like this in a blog post from 2013 when he was still at Valve Software: “a combination of smearing and strobing that’s especially pronounced on VR/AR HMDs.”

 

L

Latency
It is the time difference between the user physical action and the reflection of that action in the virtual environment. Also known as lag time.

Latency

If you’ve ever tried a VR experience and noticed that when you turn your head, the visuals don’t quite keep up, that’s latency. It’s unpleasant, because that’s not something that happens in the real world. That lag is an oft-cited complaint about VR experiences that aren’t up to par for a variety of reasons.

 

M

Mocap a.k.a Motion Capture
It is a technique to record the actual movement of a person or object and then translate it to a digital form so that the information can be used in the virtual or digital environment. It is also known as motion tracking.

Metaverse

There’s not exactly a definitive definition. It’s a bit prickly. Broadly, it’s a bit of a philosophical underpinning of virtual reality; Forbes defines it as a “collective virtual reality,” but there’s plenty of debate about what that applies to and really, what exactly that is. A suggestion: check out Snowcrash by Neal Stephenson. It’s a 1992 sci-fi that envisions a metaverse.

 

O

ODT a.k.a Omnidirectional Treadmill
It is a special kind of treadmill device that can allows people to walk or move in any direction in the virtual environment.

 

P

 

Presence

If virtual reality strives to takes users and immerse them in new environments, presence is what’s achieved when that happens. Plain and simple, users feel like they’re there, wherever “there” is.

 

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R

Refresh rate

If you’re looking at a television, or, in this case, a virtual reality experience, you’re looking at a series of images. The refresh rate is how fast those images get updated. Higher refresh rates cut down on lag, and cutting down on lag means there’s less of a chance of getting sick. It also means more responsive experiences. You definitely want to be north of 60 frames per second.

S

Simulation
It is a process or approach to mimic or imitate the real environment inside the virtual environment.

Stereoscopic
It is a technique or method to enhance the three-dimensional (3D) viewing of a media such as image or video by introducing the illusion of depth to it.

Simulator sickness

Simulator sickness is a conflict of sorts between what your brain and body think they’re doing. Your eyes say, “We’re moving!” And your brain says “Nope! Let’s get nauseated!” Science Magazine suggests that this disparity is interpreted as a toxin, and the human body does what it can to get that toxin out, ergo, vomiting. As much as people look at virtual reality and want to do things like fly or jump, for many folks, it’s the beginning of a bad idea. But, as everyone has different thresholds, not everyone gets sick, or as sick as someone else might. This is one of the big challenges for developers — figuring out how to move people without making them ill.

 

T

Telepresence
It is a techonology to mimic that you are present in the particular location although your physical body is at somewhere else.

 

V

VE a.k.a Virtual Environment
It is an environment which is created digitally using computer technology that can make the user feel like he or she is there. Furthermore, they can also explore and manipulate the objects in that digital world.

VR a.k.a Virtual Reality
It is a technology or method where people can feel and experience with their senses like they are really inside an artificial or simulated environment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Oculus Rift

Oculus has released two developer kits, and has a prototype called Crescent Bay they’ve been demoing in the past year or so. Their consumer version is slated to hit the market in Q1 of 2016. Facebook bought the company in 2014 for $2 billion.

Samsung Gear VR Innovator Edition

The Gear is powered by Oculus, but differs in that its display is the screen of the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge. There’s been one previous iteration. The Samsung platform features a variety of games, game demos, 360 videos, 360 videos, and other VR experiences both computer-generated and cinematic.

Sony’s Project Morpheus

Project Morpheus will be compatible with PlayStation 4. There’s no release date, but it’s expected sometime in the first half of 2016. In pictures, you typically see people wearing the headset and holding two wands as input devices.

HTC Vive

The buzz is that the Vive might be the Rift’s best competition. It’s a partnership between hardware maker HTC, and videogame maker Valve, powered by the SteamVR platform. It has two wireless hand controllers, and two sensors to be placed in the room. It’s supposed to be released toward the end of 2015.

Google Cardboard

Google introduced its cardboard holder in 2014 at its I/O conference. A user’s cell phone fits into the front and the user hold the holder up to his or her face. It doesn’t have any sensors, which makes some VR purists dismiss it as too low quality, as it relies on the phone’s accelerometer. On the other hand, the fact that it’s cheap and the newer version accommodates phones with screens up to 6 inches, can potentially put VR in the hands of a very wide audience. Users can find apps on the Google Play store. There’s also the Cardboard app.