Immerse have put together a glossary of some of the most used acronyms and words from the virtual reality industry. This article will be regularly updated with new terms as and when they arise.
Please leave a comment if you think we have missed any terms that should be included!
VR
Virtual Reality – using a headset such as a HTC Vive or Oculus Rift to enter a 3D world that completely replaces the real world.
AR
Augmented reality – viewed through headsets or smart devices, allows virtual 3D elements to be seen in over and around the real world
MR or Augmented Virtuality
Mixed reality – both AR and VR together
XR
Extended reality – a combination of AR, VR and MR
SDK
Software Development Kit – a range of tools or a platform allowing developers to create software or technology for themselves
CAD
Computer Aided Design – Creating models on a computer/device possibly using software such as AutoCAD
Tethered/Untethered
Whether or not a headset or piece of equipment can run without connecting wires.
4K or 8K resolution
Ultra-high resolution – images taken in 4K are incredibly high quality where you should not be able to see individual pixels. The images are crisp and clear.
Apps
Applications – these are platforms, software and tools that allow you to do a certain thing easily.
Silicon Valley
The southern portion of the Bay Area in California, known for being home to many of the world’s largest high-tech corporations
360 cameras/video
Images or videos taken with a camera which captures every single angle from a single point.
Drone/ Drone Camera
A camera fixed to a flying robot which can be controlled by remote control. Enables pictures to be taken from the sky or hard to reach areas.
Haptics/ Haptic Feedback
Vibration in controllers which can be used to indicate weight or difficulty within virtual spaces.
Eye Tracking
The ability to track where your eyes are looking
HMD
Head mounded display – another term for a headset
Position tracking
The ability to track where you are in a physical space – e.g. moving around a room
Latency
The time a VR headset takes between receiving an input and updating its display. The closer to 0 this number is, the higher quality and the better the experience is for the viewer
Avatar
A visual representation of a person inside the virtual world
Cave
Cave stands for cave automatic virtual environment and is an area where virtual images are projected onto walls surrounding the person holding the controllers
Emotional presence
Experiencing an emotional response from a virtual experience e.g. fear, fun, joy etc
Experiencer
Another word for the user or player, the person involved with the virtual experience
Teleportation
Moving across the virtual space without physically moving in the real world.