CalculatorsVR Pixels per Degree
VR Pixels per Degree
Panel resolution without the field of view does not say whether the picture is sharp. Pixels per degree is the horizontal count divided by the horizontal FOV, and the same idea vertically.
Inputs
Results
- Horizontal PPD
- 18.8
- Vertical PPD
- 23.0
- Fraction of 60 PPD
- 0.31
The Result is indicative and educational. It does not constitute a design, a technical opinion or medical advice and does not replace calculations or verification by a person with the appropriate qualifications and authorisations. Before purchase, installation or use in practice – in particular in electrical installations – the Result should be verified by a qualified specialist. Details: Terms of Service, point 4.
Example products
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- Headset with a published PPD, not only a pixel count
A wider FOV spreads the same panel thinner. Read both numbers.
$500–$1800
How the number is made
Horizontal PPD = horizontal pixels ÷ horizontal FOV in degrees. Vertical PPD uses the vertical pair. The retinal fraction is horizontal PPD ÷ 60. A named preset replaces the four numbers with that headset’s panel and FOV. Custom uses whatever you type.
60 PPD is a rough 20/20 benchmark at the centre, not a claim about lens sweet spots. Preset FOVs are the horizontal figures used on the bottleneck pages, plus a vertical estimate. The result is an average across the view: lenses pack more pixels into the centre, and the quoted horizontal FOV covers both eyes, so makers’ centre PPD figures run higher (Pimax quotes 35 for the Crystal, against 25 here).
PPD is not frame rate
A sharp panel still needs a GPU that holds the refresh. The bottleneck check is the other half of the same purchase.
Related calculators
- GPU vs VR Headset Bottleneck
Clarity per degree does not say whether the score and the VRAM can hold that panel.
- Triple Screen FOV and Angle
A monitor FOV is a seating geometry problem, not a pixels-per-degree problem.
Questions
Why can a 2880 panel score fewer PPD than a smaller one?
If the field of view is wider, each degree gets fewer pixels. The Crystal spreads 2880 pixels over 115°, about 25 per degree; the Beyond spreads 2560 over 98°, about 26.
Does the preset ignore what I type?
Yes. A named preset fills the four fields with its own numbers and locks them. Only Custom reads what you type, and it starts from the last preset.
Is 1.00 on the fraction “retina”?
It means 60 pixels per degree, a common 20/20 shorthand. Lenses and eye box still change what you see.