Virtual Reality
Introduction
Virtual Reality or VR is a computer-simulated artificial world that can mimic the physical features of the environments in real life and in fantasy. In VR, all of our senses are fooled, temporarily, into believing that this artificial environment is real. The goal of a true VR experience is to create presence, the feeling of physically being somewhere else, being in another reality.
Virtual Reality is an interactive and immersive medium that can be utilized to create unique experiences that are unattainable elsewhere. VR has the power to transform games, films and other forms of media. Some enthusiasts call VR the "ultimate input/output device" or the "last medium" because any subsequent medium can be created within VR, using only software.
While Augmented Reality enhances the real world with digital content, Virtual Reality completely replaces the real world with a virtual one, creating a brand new digital environment for the users to explore.
Hardware Technologies
Head-mounted Display
VR is currently created by head-mounted displays (HMDs) such as the Oculus Rift. HMDs utilize stereoscopic displays and specialized lenses along with motion tracking hardware to give the illusion that the user is physically inside the virtual world.
To create the illusion of depth, a display is placed very close to the users' eyes, covering their entire field of view. Two images that are very similar but have different perspectives are channeled into each eye to create parallax, the visual phenomenon where our brains perceive depth based on the difference in the apparent position of objects.
Specialized lenses are placed between the display and our eyes. There lenses allow our eyes to focus on the images on the display, even though the display is only a few inches in front of our faces. Without lenses, our entire VR world would become blurry because human eyes have trouble focusing on things that are very close.[1]
The headset tracks the movement of your head and changes the images shown on the display based on it. This process creates the sensation that users are located within the virtual environment. Users of these devices are not only able to experience the computer-simulated environments but also interact with them. Various input methods, from the traditional game controllers and keyboards to the futuristic hand gestures and voice commands, are available or under development.
Motion Tracking
HMD tracks the movement of your head and updates the rendered scene based on its orientation and location. This process is similar to how we look around in real life. There are 2 types of tracking: rotational tracking and positional.
Rotational tracking tracks the 3 rotational movements: pitch, yaw, and roll. It is performed by IMUs such as accelerometers, gyroscopes and magnetometers.
Positional tracking tracks the 3 translational movements: forward/back, up/down and left/right. Positional tracking is usually more difficult than rotational tracking and is accomplished through different Types and Systems.
Motion tracking is not only used to track your head in HMDs but also used to track your hands and rest of your body through various input devices.
Input Devices
Input Devices allow the users to influence and manipulate the virtual realm they are in. These devices include traditional input methods such as gamepad, mouse and keyboard and novel devices that track the position and orientation of your hands, fingers, feet and other body parts.
Platforms
Devices
- See also: Virtual Reality Devices
Popular VR Headsets:
- Steam Frame
- Apple Vision Pro
- Meta Quest 3S
- Meta Quest 3
- Meta Quest Pro
- Meta Quest 2
- PlayStation VR2
- Valve Index
- Oculus Rift S
- Bigscreen Beyond 2
- Bigscreen Beyond
- Varjo XR-4
- Pico 4
- Lynx R1
| Devices | Requires | Display | Resolution | Refresh Rate | Field of View | Tracking | Rotational Tracking | Positional Tracking | Update Rate | Latency | Input | Connectivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANTVR | Smartphone PlayStation 4 PC Xbox One | Aspherical lens | 1920 x 1080 | 100° diagonal | Degrees of freedom | Gyroscope Magnetometer Accelerometer | Transformable Controller | U2B (USB-2.4GHz and Bluetooth) module | ||||
| Acer Windows Mixed Reality Headset | PC | Dual LCD display | 2880 x 1440 (1440 x 1440 per eye) | 90Hz '"`UNIQ--ref-00000000-QINU`"' | 95 Degree Horizontal | 6DOF | Gyroscope Magnetometer Accelerometer | Inside-out tracking | Motion to Photon: Less than 10ms | Keyboard/Mouse Xbox One GamePad Motion Controllers | HDMI USB | |
| Apple Vision Pro | Dual Micro-OLED | 3660 × 3200 pixels per eye (23 million total pixels) | 90Hz 96Hz 100Hz | Approximately 100-120 degrees | Eye tracking Hand tracking Face tracking Room mapping | Yes | 6DoF | 12ms photon-to-photon latency | 12ms | Voice Hand gestures Eye tracking | Wi-Fi 6 Bluetooth 5.3 | |
| Apple Vision Pro M5 | 2× Micro-OLED | 3660×3200+ per eye (10% more pixels than original) | 90 Hz 120 Hz 96 Hz 100 Hz | ~100° | Inside-out 6DoF | Wi-Fi 6 Bluetooth 5.3 | ||||||
| Bigscreen Beyond 2 | Base Stations VR-ready PC VR Controllers | Dual 1-inch Micro-OLED | 2560 × 2560 per eye (5120 × 2560 total) | 75 Hz (native) 90 Hz (upscaled via DSC from 1920 × 1920) | 116° diagonal | SteamVR Tracking 6DoF) (Outside-in via SteamVR 1.0 or 2.0 base stations | Yes | Yes | Low-latency eye-tracking (on Beyond 2e) | Valve Index Controllers Requires separate VR controllers | 5 m fiber-optic tether to Link Box | |
| Bigscreen Beyond 2e | 2× Micro-OLED (RGB stripe) | 2560×2560 per eye (13.1 million pixels total) | 90 Hz | 116° | Outside-in 6DoF (SteamVR Base Stations) | USB DisplayPort | ||||||
| Daydream View | Daydream Ready Phones | 5 / 5.5 inch AMOLED (Pixel / Pixel XL) | 1920 x 1080 / 2560 x 1440 (Pixel / Pixel XL) | 60 Hz | 90° (nominal) | Degrees of freedom | Accelerator Gyrometer Proximity | None | Rotational: 1000 Hz High accuracy | Daydream Controller | ||
| FOVE | PC | 5.8 inch low persistence OLED | 2560 x 1440 | 60 - 90 Hz | 100° | Eye tracking | IMU | Their own system | Eye Tracking: 120 FPS | USB 3.0 Display port 3.5mm headphone port | ||
| Figment VR | Depends on the smartphone | Depends on the smartphone | Degrees of freedom | IMUs in Smartphone | None | |||||||
| Gear VR | Samsung phone display (Super AMOLED) | 96° (101° for later models) | 3DoF (rotational only) | Touchpad Input Devices Back button | ||||||||
| HP Reverb | LCD (dual) | 2160x2160 per eye | 90 Hz | 114° | 6DoF (inside-out 2 cameras) | Bluetooth USB 3.0 DisplayPort | ||||||
| HP Reverb G1 | VR-Ready PC | 2 x LCD | 2160 x 2160 per eye (4320 x 2160 total) | 90 Hz | Approx. 114° diagonal (Visible FoV: 95° H / 90° V ) | Inside-out tracking 6DoF | Yes | Yes | Windows Mixed Reality Motion Controllers | Bluetooth (built into headset for controllers) | ||
| HTC Vive | PC | Dual Panel | 2160 x 1200 (1080 x 1200 per eye) | 90 Hz | 110° (diagonal) | 6DOF | Gyroscope Accelerometer Laser Position Sensor | Base Stations | Rotational: 1000Hz Positional: 60Hz | Motion to Photon 7ms (no load) 15ms (medium load) | Controllers in both hands | 2 HDMI ports 2 USB ports 1 headphone jack |
| HTC Vive Developer Editions | PC | Dual Panel | 2160 x 1200 1080 x 1200 per eye | 90 Hz | 110° (diagonal) | 6DOF | Gyroscope Accelerometer Laser Position Sensor | Base Stations | ?? | ?? | Controllers in both hands | 2 HDMI ports 2 USB ports 1 headphone jack |
| HTC Vive Pro | PC | Dual Panel | 2880 x 1600 (1440 x 1600 per eye) | 90 Hz '"`UNIQ--ref-00000006-QINU`"' | 110° (diagonal) | 6DOF | Gyroscope Accelerometer Laser Position Sensor | Base Stations | Rotational: TBC Positional: TBC | Motion to Photon TBC | Controllers in both hands | DisplayPort 1.2 USB-C 3.0 port Bluetooth (Version TBD) (TBD: 1 headphone jack???) |
| Impression Pi | Smartphone | Depends on smartphone | Depends on the smartphone | 6 DOF | IMU Board | IMU Board Infared Cameras? IR Projector? | ||||||
| IonVR | 2 AAA batteries Smartphone (4.5"-6" screen) | Smartphone display (Super AMOLED or IPS) | Min. 720p resolution 1080p recommended 2K ideal | 80-100 degrees | Rotational (3DOF) Positional (6DOF with Intel RealSense) | Yes (3-axis IMU) | Yes (with Intel RealSense ZR300) | Compatible with Bluetooth controllers | ||||
| LG 360 VR | LG G5 | 1.88" IPS LCD x 2 EA 920 x 720 per Eye 639 ppi Real RGB | 960x720 pixels at 693ppi (per eye) | 60Hz | Motion to Photon: over 50ms | |||||||
| Lenovo Windows Holographic HMD | PC | 1440x1440-pixel OLED display | Inside-out Tracking | Two Cameras | Input Devices | HDMI and USB Connectors | ||||||
| Lynx R1 | None (Standalone device) | Dual LCD (binocular) | 1600×1600 per eye | 90 Hz | 90°×90° (circular) | 6DOF inside-out tracking | Yes (6DOF) | Yes (6DOF) | Hand tracking Optional 6DOF controllers based on Finch Technologies Shift | Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) Wi-Fi 5 DisplayPort Alt-Mode) USB-C (3.1 Gen1 | ||
| Lynx-R1 | 2× LCD | 1600×1600 per eye | 90 Hz | 90° (circular) | Inside-out 6DoF (6 cameras) | Bluetooth Wi-Fi USB-C | ||||||
| Meta Quest 3 | Meta account | 2 x LCD ("4K+ Infinite Display") | 2064×2208 per-eye | 90Hz 72Hz 120Hz (144Hz experimental) | 110° (horizontal) 96° (vertical) | Inside-out tracking 6DoF | Yes (IMU-based) | Yes (SLAM-based) | 2 × Meta Quest Touch Plus Controllers | Bluetooth 5.2 LE Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax with 6GHz) | ||
| Meta Quest 3S | Meta account | Single LCD | 1832 x 1920 pixels per eye | Up to 120Hz | Inside-out tracking 6DoF | Yes | Yes | Hand tracking Touch Plus controllers | Bluetooth Wi-Fi 6E | |||
| NVIS nVisor SX60 | PC/Workstation with dual-link DVI or VGA | LCOS (Liquid Crystal on Silicon) | 1280x1024 per eye (SXGA) | 60 Hz | 60° diagonal | 3 DoF (6 DoF with optional external trackers) | Yes | Optional (with external trackers) | Up to 180 Hz (tracker-dependent) | VGA DVI RS-232 | ||
| OSVR HDK1 | PC | 5.5 inch LCD (1.0) 5.5 inch low-persistence OLED (1.1 - 1.3) | 1920 x 1080 960 x 1080 per eye | 60 Hz (1.0 - 1.2) 120 Hz (1.3) | 100° (nominal) 90° (H and V) | 6DOF Degrees of freedom | Gyroscope Magnetometer Accelerometer | IR-LED faceplate and External Infrared Camera | Rotational: 400Hz Positional: 100 Hz | ?? | Gamepads Mouse and Keyboard Leap Motion VR | 1 external and 2 internal USB 3.0 ports |
| OSVR HDK2 | PC | 5.5 inch OLED | 2160 x 1200 (1080 x 1200 per eye) | 90 Hz '"`UNIQ--ref-00000003-QINU`"' | 110 degrees | 6DOF Degrees of freedom | Gyroscope Magnetometer Accelerometer | ??? | Rotational: 400Hz Positional: 100 Hz | ?? | ??? | 1 external and 2 internal USB 3.0 ports |
| Oculus Quest 2 | LCD (single panel) | 1832x1920 per eye | 72/80/90/120 Hz | 97° | 4 cameras) 6DoF (inside-out | |||||||
| Oculus Rift | PC | Dual OLED Panels | 2160 x 1200 (1080 x 1200 per eye) | 90 Hz | 110° (diagonal) | 6DOF | Gyroscope Magnetometer Accelerometer | Oculus Sensor | Rotational: 1000Hz Positional: 60Hz | Motion to Photon: less than 5ms | Oculus Touch Xbox One controller Oculus Remote | HDMI USB |
| Oculus Rift S | VR-Ready PC | Fast-switch LCD | 2560×1440 (1280×1440 per eye) | 80Hz | 115° | Inside-out tracking (6DOF) | Yes | Oculus Insight | Oculus Touch | USB 3.0 DisplayPort 1.2 | ||
| Oculus Santa Cruz | Inside-out tracking | Input Devices | 1 HDMI 2 USB 3.0 Ports | |||||||||
| Philips Scuba | Sony PlayStation Nintendo 64 Sega Saturn DVD player PC with composite video output | Approx. 0.7 inches each Dual AMLCD (Active Matrix LCD) | 263 × 230 pixels per eye | 60 Hz (NTSC) 50 Hz (PAL) | 50° diagonal (40° horizontal × 30° vertical) | 3 DoF Non-positional | Yes (Gyroscope Based) | No | Control box with power button Brightness/contrast controls Volume control | Stereo audio input RCA composite video input | ||
| Pico 4 Pro | 2× LCD | 2160×2160 per eye | 90 Hz 72 Hz | 105° | Inside-out 6DoF (4 cameras) | USB-C Bluetooth 5.1 Wi-Fi 6 | ||||||
| Pico 4 Ultra Enterprise | 2× 2.56" LCD | 2160×2160 per eye (4K+) | 90 Hz | 105° | Inside-out 6DoF (4 cameras) | Bluetooth USB-C Wi-Fi 7 | ||||||
| Pico G2 | 3K LCD Blue ray reduction | 2880 x 1600 | 90Hz 615 ppi | 101 degrees | Degrees of freedom | 1 3DOF Controller | N/A | |||||
| Pico G3 | LCD | 3664×1920 (combined) | 72 Hz 90 Hz (dynamic) | ~101° | 3DoF (head rotation only) | Bluetooth Wi-Fi USB-C | ||||||
| Pico Neo 3 Pro | 4k 5.5" 3664 x 1920 LCD PPI 773 | 72/90Hz | Fresnel 98 degrees | 6DOF Inside-out tracking | 2 Updated Pico Neo Controllers | Displayport | ||||||
| Pico Neo CV | Dual 1.5K AMOLED | 1500 x 1500 pixels/eye | 90Hz | 102 degrees | 6 Degrees of Freedom (6DoF) | |||||||
| Pimax 5K Super | 2x LCD (RGB stripe matrix) | 2560x1440 per eye (5120x1440 combined) | 90 Hz 120 Hz 160 Hz 144 Hz 180 Hz (experimental) | 200° diagonal 170° horizontal 115° vertical (varies by mode) | 6DoF (SteamVR Lighthouse 1.0/2.0) | USB DisplayPort 1.4 Power | ||||||
| Pimax 8K | Custom low-latency LCD screen | 8K (4K for each eye) | Monocular 75Hz / (Up to 90Hz although struggling to better 80Hz) (Both eyes 150Hz / 180Hz through Brainwarp) | 200-degree FOV | Gesture Tracking (optional) | Yes | 18ms (Low MTP Latency) | |||||
| Pimax 8KX | 2× 4K CLPL LCD | 3840×2160 per eye (native 4K) | 75 Hz 90 Hz (native) 114 Hz (upscale) | 200° diagonal (170° horizontal 115° vertical) | Lighthouse (SteamVR base stations) | USB 3.0 DisplayPort 1.4 | ||||||
| Project Alloy | ||||||||||||
| Samsung Gear VR (2015/2016) | All Samsung Smartphones 2015 and newer | 5.7 / 5.1 inch Super AMOLED (RGBG PenTile) | 2560 x 1440 1280 x 1440 per eye | 60 Hz | 96° (nominal) | Degrees of freedom | Accelerator Gyrometer Proximity | None | Rotational: 1000 Hz High accuracy | Motion to Photon: Less than 6 ms | Back Button Volume Key Touchpad Focus adjustment wheel | MicroUSB to the smartphone |
| Samsung Gear VR Innovator Edition | Galaxy Note 4 Galaxy S6 Galaxy S6 Edge | 5.7 / 5.1 inch Super AMOLED (RGBG PenTile) | 2560 x 1440 1280 x 1440 per eye | 60 Hz Low-persistence | 96° (nominal) | Degrees of freedom | Gyroscope Magnetometer Accelerator | None | Rotational: 1000 Hz High accuracy | Motion to Photon: Less than 20 ms | Touch Pad Back Button Volume Key | MicroUSB to the smartphone |
| Shiftall MeganeX Superlight 8K | 2× 1.35" Micro-OLED (4K per eye) | 3552×3840 per eye (8K total) | 90 Hz | ~90° | Outside-in 6DoF (SteamVR Lighthouse) | USB-C DisplayPort | ||||||
| Simula One | None (standalone) PC for tethered mode Bluetooth keyboard & mouse (optional) | Dual 2448×2448 RGB-stripe LCD high-fidelity panels | 2448×2448 per eye (4896×2448 total) | 90 Hz (up to 120 Hz capable panels mentioned previously) | ≈100° diagonal | Inside-out tracking (6DOF) | Yes (3DOF via IMU) | Yes (6DOF) | Keyboard and mouse compatible (via Bluetooth or USB) | Wi-Fi 6E Bluetooth 5.2 | ||
| StarVR | PC | Dual 5.5" LCD Quad HD Displays | 5120 x 1440 (2560 x 1440 per eye) | 210° (horizontal) 130° (vertical) | 6DOF | Gyroscope Magnetometer Accelerometer | External optical sensor with fiducial markers | |||||
| Steam Frame | PC for streaming (optional) Included wireless adapter | Dual 2160×2160 LCD panels | 2160×2160 per eye | 72–120 Hz (144 Hz experimental) | Stated 110° horizontal × 110° vertical | Inside‑out 6DoF SLAM (4 external monochrome cameras + IR illuminators) | 6DoF IMU + optical | Inside‑out optical tracking | 10–20 ms typical end‑to‑end streaming (claimed) | Steam Frame Controllers; optional Bluetooth gamepads Keyboard and mouse | Bluetooth 5.3 Wi‑Fi 7 (headset) Bundled Wi‑Fi 6E PC adapter | |
| Sulon Q | PC | OLED | 2560x1440 pixels | Gamepads Mouse and Keyboard Dual noise-suppressing embedded microphones Controllers compatible with Windows 10 | Bluetooth 4.0 Wi-Fi 802.11ac | |||||||
| Takara HMD Dynovisor | NTSC composite/AV console External power supply | Sony Active TFT LCD | 180 000 pixels (320x240 per eye Estimated) | 30 Hz | 120° diagonal | 3 DoF (gyroscope-based) | Yes (pitch Yaw Roll) | No | Atari Jaguar controllers | Composite video (NTSC) Audio (Red/White RCA) Proprietary Atari Jaguar connection | ||
| VPL EyePhone | High-end computer system (Silicon Graphics workstation) Polhemus magnetic tracker | Dual active-matrix LCD panels | 185 × 138 (Model 1) 320 × 240 (Model 2 LX) 720 × 480 (Model HRX) per eye | 30 Hz | 90° (Model 1) 108° (Model 2 LX) 106° (Model HRX) | 3 DoF electromagnetic (Polhemus FASTRAK) | Yes | No | 60 Hz | Less than 50 ms (with SGI rendering) | DataGlove (sold separately) | Wired to computer (NTSC composite signals) |
| Valve Index | Windows 10 SteamOS Or Linux; NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 / AMD RX 480 or better | Dual 1440×1600 RGB LCD panels | 2880×1600 (combined) | 80/90/120/144Hz | ~130 degrees (diagonal) | SteamVR Tracking (Lighthouse 2.0) | 6 DOF | 6 DOF | Valve Index Controllers (included) | USB 3.0 DisplayPort 1.2 | ||
| Varjo Aero | High-end PC | Mini-LED | 3840×3744 per eye | 90 Hz (120 Hz experimental) | 120° × 105° (H×V) | Inside-out (4 cameras) | 6DOF | 6DOF | 200 Hz | Less than 15ms (VR) ~22ms (passthrough) | Hand tracking SteamVR controllers | USB-C (Thunderbolt 4 compatible) |
| Varjo VR-2 | High-end PC | Dual OLED displays per eye (Bionic Display) | Focus: 1920×1080 per eye Context: 1440×1600 per eye | 90 Hz (both displays) | 87° | SteamVR 1.0/2.0 | 6DOF | 6DOF | 1000 Hz | Less than 20ms | Compatible with SteamVR controllers | DisplayPort 1.4 USB 3.0+ |
| Varjo XR-3 | High-end PC | UOLED (focus) + LCD (peripheral) | Focus: 1920×1920 per eye Context: 2880×2720 per eye | 90 Hz | 115° | SteamVR 2.0 Inside-out (beta) | 6DOF | 6DOF | 1000 Hz | Less than 20ms (VR) Less than 20ms (passthrough) | Compatible with SteamVR controllers | DisplayPort 1.4 USB-C 3.0 |
| Varjo XR-4 | High-end PC | Mini-LED | 3840×3744 per eye | 90 Hz (120 Hz experimental) | 120° × 105° (H×V) | Inside-out (4 cameras) | 6DOF | 6DOF | 200 Hz | Less than 15ms (VR) ~22ms (passthrough) | Hand tracking SteamVR controllers | USB-C (Thunderbolt 4 compatible) |
| Varjo XR-4 Focal Edition | 2× Mini-LED LCD | 3840×3744 per eye (4K×4K) | 90 Hz | 120° × 105° | Inside-out + SteamVR (hybrid) | USB-C DisplayPort | ||||||
| Virtual Boy | Six AA batteries or AC adapter | Dual 1×224 LED array with oscillating mirrors | 384×224 per eye | 50.27 Hz | ~50° horizontal | None | No | No | Virtual Boy Controller | Controller port Cartridge slot EXT port (unused) | ||
| Virtual i-O i-glasses! | ||||||||||||
| Vive Cosmos | LCD (RGB Dual) | 1440x1700 per eye | 90 Hz | 110° | 6DoF (inside-out 6 cameras) | |||||||
| Vive Flow | LCD (dual) | 1600x1600 per eye | 75 Hz | 100° | 6DoF (inside-out) | Wi-Fi Bluetooth 5.0 | ||||||
| Vive Focus | AMOLED (single panel) | 2800x1600 | 75 Hz | 110° | 6DoF (inside-out 2 cameras) | Bluetooth Wi-Fi USB-C (OTG) | ||||||
| Vive Focus 3 | LCD | 2448x2448 per eye (5K) | 90 Hz | 120° | 4 cameras) 6DoF (inside-out | |||||||
| Vive Focus Plus | AMOLED (dual) | 1440x1600 per eye | 75 Hz | 110° | 6DoF (inside-out + ultrasonic controllers) | Wi-Fi 5GHz USB 3.1 Type-C | ||||||
| Vive Focus Vision | Dual) LCD (fast-switch | 2448x2448 per eye | 90 Hz (120 Hz planned via DisplayPort) | 120° | 4 cameras) 6DoF (inside-out | DisplayPort Bluetooth 5.2 Wi-Fi 6/6E USB-C (2x) | ||||||
| Vive Pro 2 | LCD (dual) | 2448x2448 per eye | 120 Hz | 116° (marketed 120°) | SteamVR 2.0 (outside-in) | USB 3.0 DisplayPort | ||||||
| Vive Pro Eye | OLED (dual) | 1440x1600 per eye | 90 Hz | 110° | SteamVR 2.0 (outside-in) | USB 3.0 DisplayPort | ||||||
| Wearality Sky | Smartphone | Depends on smartphone | Depends on smartphone | 150° | Degrees of freedom | IMUs in Smartphone | None |
- To make changes to the table, please edit the the infobox of the corresponding device. See Template:Device Infobox for reference.
Apps
Use Cases
- See also: Virtual Reality Use Cases
History
Timeline