Virtual Reality Video, while an easy (and cheap) way to experience VR, differs in one crucial way from True VR: The first offers 3 DoF, while the second offers 6 DoF. Essentially, the three degrees of freedom allow you to change Pitch, (look up/down), Yaw (look left/right) and Roll (tilt your your head sideways). It does not, however, allow you to move in any direction. This is for two reasons:
- The movement is not tracked, i.e. you device doesn’t know what your position is of how it’s changing
- The video is pre-rendered. To move around, your perspective would have to change, and that data is not available in the video
That does’t mean that a VR Video can not be a pretty amazing and interactive experience though. You have to watch in all directions not to miss anything. Compared to watching a flat (tv) screen, it’s a big step up!