Important terms and concepts you need to know

What should you consider when buying a VR headset? There are so many terms that describe the quality of a headset, but if you're not familiar with the technological world, it can quickly become overwhelming. That's why we've compiled a glossary for you, where all the technical terms that describe a Virtual Reality headset are explained briefly and concisely.

The resolution of a VR-headset indicates the number of pixels that can be displayed. This is usually represented as width x height (e.g., 1080x1200). The higher the resolution, the sharper the image. Note that in a VR-bril, the image is often displayed on two screens (one for each eye).

The type of screen, also known as the display, is important for your viewing experience. Generally, three types of screens are used: OLED, (super) AMOLED, and (dual) LCD. One is not necessarily better than the other, but they do have different characteristics. The first in this list, and perhaps the longest on the market, is LCD. By efficiently managing colour, it consumes the least energy. However, the downside is that black colours can appear dark grey. OLED, on the other hand, is 'off' when displaying black. This makes everything that is black appear truly black. Lastly, there is AMOLED. The advantage is that it has a faster refresh rate, making the screen's response time smoother. However, this also means it consumes more energy.

As mentioned with AMOLED, the refresh rate indicates how many times the image is 'refreshed'. This is measured in Hz. Generally, the higher the Hz, the smoother the image. The combination of refresh rate and frames per second plays a significant role in the so-called 'motion sickness'.

The field of view (FoV) shows how far you can see to the sides and above without turning your head. This is always indicated in degrees (º) and can sometimes be mentioned both horizontally (left and right) and vertically (up and down). You might think, 'the higher, the better', but this must be balanced with the weight and size of the headset. The sweet-spot in most high-end models is around 110º.

Besides all the hardware facts, weight also plays a role. You need to be able to wear the headset for extended periods while gaming or watching a film. Generally, the lighter, the more comfortable, but keep in mind that the hardware in the headset contributes to the weight. For example, a Google Cardboard is much lighter than a Samsung Odyssey, simply because the Cardboard contains no hardware and is mostly made of cardboard.

VR is generally offered on three platforms: mobile, PC, and console. The platform you play on says something about the availability of games and apps. For instance, a mobile platform depends on apps you can download on your phone, and the console depends on games specifically released for it. For a console, this can be an advantage (or disadvantage) as exclusive games may be released that you can only play with a PlayStation VR, for example. The PC currently has the largest library of games with SteamVR.