FOV stands for field of view, or field of vision. This is the range of what a user can see. For example, your FOV in a video game is how much of a given level you can see on your screen at once. Meanwhile, your FOV when wearing a VR headset determines how much of the landscape ahead of you is visible when you’re wearing the headset.
FOV in VR Headsets
Some of the best VR headsets, like the HTC Vive Pro and Samsung HMD Odyssey have a FOV of 110 degrees. The Oculus Rift and the lower-priced standalone HMD (head-mounted display, same thing as a headset) Oculus Go have an FOV of about 100 degrees.
However, vendors are working on expanding the FOV capabilities of VR headsets. In early 2019, Pimax should be delivering its 8K and 5K+ VR headsets to backers of its Kickstarter campaign. Both HMDs have a FOV of 200 degrees (we got a glimpse of this tech in our review of a pre-production 5K+). And rumor has it Valve is working on its own VR headset with a 135-degree FOV.
This article is part of the Tom's Hardware Glossary.
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