Avatar
An avatar is any digital representation (graphical or textual), beyond a simple label or name, that has agency (an ability to perform actions) and is controlled by a human agent in real time (Bell, 2008)
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 ... 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. (Carson, 2015)
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. (Carson, 2015)
Haptics
Here's another word that's not exclusive to virtual reality, but still gets play. It's tactile feedback. In VR, that would mean users feeling like they're touching something that's not really there. In June, Oculus unveiled its Oculus Touch controllers — the Half Moon prototype, and one of the features was haptics. (Carson, 2015)
Head mounted display or HMD
HMDs are the current form of hardware delivering VR experiences to users. It's typically goggles or a helmet of some type, the kind you strap to your face or put on your head. (Carson, 2015)
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. (Carson, 2015)
Immersive Virtual Worlds
The use of “graphical elements in a 3D medium” used to engage learners fully into their virtual learning environments. (Ibáñez et al., 2011)
Judder
has no single clear definition; it’s used by cinematographers in a variety of ways. In virtual reality it is a combination of smearing and strobing that's especially pronounced on VR/AR HMDs. (Abrash, 2013)
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. (Carson, 2015)
Massively-Multiplayer Online Game
an online video game where multiple players interact using technological devices such as game consoles, cell phones, computers
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. (Carson, 2015)
Multi-User Virtual Environments (MUVE)
Virtual worlds on the internet where many users can engage with others in a 3-dimensional setting
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. (Carson, 2015)
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. (Carson, 2015)
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. (Carson, 2015)
Virtual Environment
a computer-generated, three-dimensional representation of a setting in which the user of the technology perceives themselves to be and within which interaction takes place. (“Virtual Environments”, n.d.)
Virtual Worlds
A synchronous, persistent network of people, represented as avatars, facilitated by networked computers. (Bell, 2008)
References
Abrash, M. (2013). Why virtual isn’t real to your brain: judder [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://blogs.valvesoftware.com/abrash
/why-virtual-isnt-real-to-your-brain-judder/
Bell, M. W. (2008). Toward a Definition of “Virtual Worlds”. Journal of Virtual Worlds Research: “Virtual Worlds Research: Past, Present &
Future”, 1 (1). Retrieved from http://jvwresearch.org/index.php/past-issues/volume1issue1
Carson, E. (2015). Mini-glossary: Virtual reality terms you should know [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://www.techrepublic.com
/article/mini-glossary-virtual-reality-terms-you-should-know/
Ibáñez, M. B., García, J. J., Galán, S., Maroto, D., Morillo, D., & Kloos, C. D. (2011). Design and implementation of a 3D multi-user virtual
world for language learning. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 14 (4), 2–10.
Virtual Environments. (n.d.). In Dictionary online. Retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/virtual+environment
In order to be fully immersed in Virtual Reality, and kept up to date as it progresses it is important to be well versed in the terminology and jargons. Here is a list of terminology from various sources that are commonly used: