6DoF (six degrees of freedom)
Short definition
6DoF (six degrees of freedom) is the ability of a virtual reality system to track both the rotation of the head and the movement of the body forwards, sideways and up or down.
In plain language
The six degrees are three rotations (turning, tilting and rolling the head) and three translations (moving forwards or backwards, left or right, up or down). With 6DoF, leaning the torso to peer at something has an effect in the virtual environment, which increases the sense of realism. It matters, for example, in rehabilitation exercises in which the person reaches for virtual objects.
In practice, in an RVer session
RVer Headsets are 6DoF; in 360° video, however, only head rotation changes the image, because the video was filmed from a fixed point.