Field of view in video games
Encyclopedia
Field of view in video games (FOV in games, or field of vision in video games) is the extent of the observable game world that is seen on the display at any given moment.

The field of view
Field of view
The field of view is the extent of the observable world that is seen at any given moment....

 (FOV) in a video game could change dependent on the aspect ratio
Aspect ratio (image)
The aspect ratio of an image is the ratio of the width of the image to its height, expressed as two numbers separated by a colon. That is, for an x:y aspect ratio, no matter how big or small the image is, if the width is divided into x units of equal length and the height is measured using this...

 of the display
Display resolution
The display resolution of a digital television or display device is the number of distinct pixels in each dimension that can be displayed. It can be an ambiguous term especially as the displayed resolution is controlled by all different factors in cathode ray tube , flat panel or projection...

 resolution or the amount of pixels. This is determined by the image scaling
Image scaling
In computer graphics, image scaling is the process of resizing a digital image. Scaling is a non-trivial process that involves a trade-off between efficiency, smoothness and sharpness. As the size of an image is increased, so the pixels which comprise the image become increasingly visible, making...

 method used by the video game. In computer games
Personal computer game
A PC game, also known as a computer game, is a video game played on a personal computer, rather than on a video game console or arcade machine...

 and modern game consoles the FOV normally increases with a wider aspect ratio
Aspect ratio
The aspect ratio of a shape is the ratio of its longer dimension to its shorter dimension. It may be applied to two characteristic dimensions of a three-dimensional shape, such as the ratio of the longest and shortest axis, or for symmetrical objects that are described by just two measurements,...

 of the monitor resolution. The amount of pixels of the display resolution only affects the FOV in a few older computer games.

Scaling methods

The terms (hor+, anamorphic, pixel-based, vert- and 4:3 stretch) are widely used in gaming discussions to describe how different computer games behave on 16:9
16:9
16:9 is an aspect ratio with a width of 16 units and height of 9. Since 2009, it has become the most common aspect ratio for sold televisions and computer monitors and is also the international standard format of HDTV, Full HD, non-HD digital television and analog widescreen television ...

 monitors compared to 16:10 and 4:3 monitors. The terms were originally coined by members of the Widescreen gaming forum.
  • HOR+ (Horizontal Plus) is a scaling method where The FOV in height is fixed while the FOV in width is expandable dependent on aspect ratio of the monitor resolution; a wider aspect ratio gives a wider FOV. The FOV is independent of how high the monitor resolution is. For instance the FOV will be the same for 1366x768 and 1920x1080 because both resolutions are 16:9
    16:9
    16:9 is an aspect ratio with a width of 16 units and height of 9. Since 2009, it has become the most common aspect ratio for sold televisions and computer monitors and is also the international standard format of HDTV, Full HD, non-HD digital television and analog widescreen television ...

    . Any 16:9 resolution will always have wider and bigger field of view than any 16:10 or 4:3 resolution. HOR+ is the most common scaling method for computer games released after 2005.


  • Anamorphic is a scaling method where the FOV is fixed both in height and width. If the monitor aspect ratio is different than the fixed aspect ratio the monitor will show black bars or stretch the image. The field of view will be the same independent of monitor aspect ratio
    Aspect ratio
    The aspect ratio of a shape is the ratio of its longer dimension to its shorter dimension. It may be applied to two characteristic dimensions of a three-dimensional shape, such as the ratio of the longest and shortest axis, or for symmetrical objects that are described by just two measurements,...

     and resolution
    Display resolution
    The display resolution of a digital television or display device is the number of distinct pixels in each dimension that can be displayed. It can be an ambiguous term especially as the displayed resolution is controlled by all different factors in cathode ray tube , flat panel or projection...

    . The FOV in anamorphic modern console ports is locked to the aspect ratio 16:9
    16:9
    16:9 is an aspect ratio with a width of 16 units and height of 9. Since 2009, it has become the most common aspect ratio for sold televisions and computer monitors and is also the international standard format of HDTV, Full HD, non-HD digital television and analog widescreen television ...

    . Anamorphic scaling is sometimes used in console ports.


An anamorphic view can be forced in a HOR+ game for 4:3 or 16:10 monitor because most modern graphics cards allow monitors to maintain the aspect ratio of resolutions in games.

  • Pixel-based scaling was mainly used in some Real-time strategy
    Real-time strategy
    Real-time strategy is a sub-genre of strategy video game which does not progress incrementally in turns. Brett Sperry is credited with coining the term to market Dune II....

     games around the year 2000 but is very rare in later games. With pixel-based scaling the horizontal FOV is directly tied to the number of horizontal pixel
    Pixel
    In digital imaging, a pixel, or pel, is a single point in a raster image, or the smallest addressable screen element in a display device; it is the smallest unit of picture that can be represented or controlled....

    s, and the vertical component of the FOV is directly tied to the number of vertical pixels. The larger the monitor resolution is, the more the game will display.

  • Vert- (Vertical Minus) is a scaling method common in games during CRT
    Cathode ray tube
    The cathode ray tube is a vacuum tube containing an electron gun and a fluorescent screen used to view images. It has a means to accelerate and deflect the electron beam onto the fluorescent screen to create the images. The image may represent electrical waveforms , pictures , radar targets and...

     era before 2005 but since then it has become rather rare. In Vert- the FOV in width is fixed while the height is expandable dependent on monitor aspect ratio
    Aspect ratio (image)
    The aspect ratio of an image is the ratio of the width of the image to its height, expressed as two numbers separated by a colon. That is, for an x:y aspect ratio, no matter how big or small the image is, if the width is divided into x units of equal length and the height is measured using this...

    . In a Vert- game any 4:3 resolution will always have higher and bigger field of view than any 16:10 or 16:9 resolution.

  • 4:3 Stretch is a similar image scaling method as anamorphic but where the FOV is locked to 4:3 and either stretched or leaving black bars on widescreen monitors. This was the standard for early PC games before 16:10 and 16:9 monitors were introduced but this scalingmethod is rarely used nowadays.

Console games

Game consoles
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...

 only support television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...

 resolutions which are in either 16:9
16:9
16:9 is an aspect ratio with a width of 16 units and height of 9. Since 2009, it has become the most common aspect ratio for sold televisions and computer monitors and is also the international standard format of HDTV, Full HD, non-HD digital television and analog widescreen television ...

 or 4:3. For modern platforms such as Playstation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...

 and Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...

 the FOV will be wider in 16:9
16:9
16:9 is an aspect ratio with a width of 16 units and height of 9. Since 2009, it has become the most common aspect ratio for sold televisions and computer monitors and is also the international standard format of HDTV, Full HD, non-HD digital television and analog widescreen television ...

 than 4:3 because console games are hor+. Playstation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...

 and most other consoles do not support 16:10 so it will show an 16:9
16:9
16:9 is an aspect ratio with a width of 16 units and height of 9. Since 2009, it has become the most common aspect ratio for sold televisions and computer monitors and is also the international standard format of HDTV, Full HD, non-HD digital television and analog widescreen television ...

 image either stretched or with black bars. Xbox 360 has added 16:10 support but the image will still have a loss in FOV compared to 16:9 like in hor+ scaling, show black bars or stretch the 16:9 image in games.

FOV in-game size changes

Changes in size of Field of View can sometimes be triggered in games for various effects. 'Pinching' the Field of View can convey focus, whereas widening it can indicate chaos or lack of control. For example, in Minecraft
Minecraft
Minecraft is a sandbox-building independent video game written in Java originally by Swedish creator Markus "Notch" Persson and now by his company, Mojang, formed from the proceeds of the game. It was released as an alpha on May 17, 2009, with a beta version on December 20, 2010...

the Field of View widens when the player dashes.
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