The Best FPV Goggles for Flying a Drone in First-Person View

Buyer’s Guide: FPV Goggles

Things to Look For

FPV Goggles all accomplish the same purpose, but that doesn’t mean they are all created equally. Since they contribute so much to how immersive your experience is, picking the right one is vital.

Here are some things you need to consider:

Form Factor

Form factor refers to the overall size, shape, and physical characteristics of your FPV goggles. This is important because you want them to be portable, yet comfortable and functional at the same time.

Most of the goggles you see in the market will either be box type or slimline (low profile). The main difference between the two is the size, but there are subtle variances.

Box goggles have a single 3 to 6 inch LCD screen that’s attached to a headset. Some low-cost models don’t even have a screen, using your smartphone instead to act as one.

These are much easier to manufacture, and are therefore much cheaper. They also tend to be larger and bulkier, which makes transporting them much more difficult. However, the bigger form factor hugs your face better, which makes box goggles much more comfortable to wear over long periods.

Slimline goggles, the other type, uses two smaller LCD screens instead of one. They are designed to be aligned with each eye, much like how glasses or binoculars work. The smaller glasses can be placed closer to the eye, allowing for much smaller and slimmer designs.

Because of this, slimline glasses are much more portable and compact, enabling you to carry them around much easier. They’re lighter, too, so it’s not as straining to your head and neck. However, a lot of people prefer the comfort a larger box goggle gives.

Performance-wise, though, you can’t go wrong with either type so long as they’re made with quality components. The form factor is mostly based on budget and preference.

Receiver Frequency

For you to view the live footage, the signal must be received from your drone’s transmitter. This is usually transmitted in specific frequencies, and you have to make sure your goggle’s receiver frequency is compatible with that of your drone.

Different ranges have different properties. Lower frequencies, for example, can travel for long distances and can quickly go through solid objects such as walls. Higher frequencies have a shorter range but allow for more significant bandwidth and, therefore, much better quality footage.

In a nutshell, the frequencies a drone can operate in ranges from 900 MHz to 5.8 GHz. The two most common ones, though, are 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz.

The 2.4 GHz frequency is the most common for sending command signals to your drone since it has a long range. It can also be used for streaming video feeds, but the quality tends to be lower. It’s also relatively inexpensive to produce 2.4 GHz transmitters.

A problem with 2.4 GHz is that a lot of other wireless devices operate in this range, including WiFi. Hence, you’ll most likely encounter a lot more interference when you’re running your VR headset and drone in this channel.

The 5.8 GHz frequency is popular for streaming data-intensive transmissions, such as live video footage. Thanks to its more significant bandwidth, the video quality is much better. Using the 5.8 GHz frequency for FPV also helps avoid interference with the drone control signals, which can be done at 2.4 GHz.

5.8 GHz is also not that expensive to produce and is legal in all countries. Hence, why more drones and VR headsets support this frequency.

For the utmost in flexibility, some FPV headsets don’t have a receiver built-in. While this might be inconvenient for most, for some pro users, it means they have the freedom to choose the receiver they want to use, and swap if necessary.

Resolution

Like any consumer device with a screen, FPV goggles also have a resolution. This is the total number of pixels your screen can display, which tells you how clear of a video quality it’s capable of displaying.

There are lots of screen resolutions available, but the most common ones are QVGA (320 x 240) and 1280 x 720. Other resolutions include SVGA (800 x 600) and VGA (640 x 480).

Generally speaking, the higher the resolution, the more pixels involved, and the sharper the footage. Of course, this has a lot to do with the overall quality of your camera. Even the highest resolution VR screen will show crappy footage if your drone’s FPV camera is not up to par.

In short, it’s no use getting a hypothetical 4K resolution goggle if your drone can only do 720p FPV. And 4K FPV really could be considered overkill.

Aspect Ratio

The resolution only describes one part of your screen. Another one is aspect ratio, which tells you the ratio of your VR screen’s height vs. its width. It’s an important metric because it essentially dictates the shape of your screen.

FPV goggles have an aspect ratio of either 4:3 or 16:9. Choosing one is mostly based on preference, but you do have to match the aspect ratio of both your drone and your goggles.

4:3 gives you a much more square-shaped screen, which gives the illusion of a narrower FOV. The majority of drone cameras capture in 4:3, so a lot of FPV glasses will have this as the default aspect ratio.

16:9 offers a much wider screen shape and gives a much more cinematic feel. This aspect ratio is not that common yet but is quickly gaining adoption in the drone space.

It’s possible to have differing aspect ratios between the goggles and the drone, but you’ll end up with a distorted image.

For example, if a drone transmits a 4:3 live feed to 16:9 VR goggles, then the image will look stretched. If the reverse happens (4:3 goggles with a 16:9 drone), then the live feed will become squished.

Some FPV goggles, however, can adapt to this by having the ability to switch between these two aspect ratios. Instead of distorting the footage, the goggles crop them instead to maintain the look of the footage.

Field of View (FOV)

FOV is described in degrees since it’s measured by the angle between the eyes and the corners of the screen. The wider the FOV angle, the bigger the screen appears to be since its closer to the eye. This makes the image more immersive since it tends to “cover” your entire viewpoint.

There’s a limit, however. If the screen becomes too large or too close, then the eye has to scan around to see parts of the footage. This can be straining and, more importantly, breaks the illusion.

The FOV for box goggles and slimline goggles are totally different, so they shouldn’t be used to compare with one another (remember that the former only has one screen, while the latter has two). Box goggles have typical FOVs of 50 – 80 degrees, while slimlines have 25 – 50. Anything beyond these ranges will make VR mode hard for anyone.

Interpupillary Distance (IPD)

Interpupillary Distance (IPD) is the distance between the two pupils of your eyes. This is a relevant spec for slimline FPV goggles and binoculars. In essence, if your IPD doesn’t match with that of your goggles, the image you’ll see will be blurry and out of focus.

Every person has a unique IPD, which makes buying FPV goggles with a fixed IPD generally a bad idea.

FPV goggles with adjustable IPD is the way to go. This allows you to fine-tune the clarity of the image you see. In addition, you can let anyone else use it.

Headtracking

Headtracking is a cool technology that some FPV goggles have. This allows your headset to capture your head movement, which it uses to move the drone’s camera but the same amount.

In practice, this means you can change your viewpoint by merely moving your head. It makes for an even more immersive and realistic experience and can make framing shots or surveying an area that much easier.

However, headtracking is recommended for steady, slower flights. Having it on during racing can make the drone look away with an accidental head movement, which is not advisable for even one second!

HDMI Output

Some goggles are equipped with an HDMI port, which allows you to connect it to various computers and devices. This is most commonly used with a computer running an FPV simulator, enabling you to practice flying in a virtual world.

You can also connect it to your computer or home entertainment system and watch movies from your FPV! Nothing beats the experience of watching movies this way.

No doubt, there’ll be other ways to connect to other devices in the future, and having an HDMI port can extend the functionality of your headset.

Digital Video Recording (DVR)

Several FPV goggles allow you to record the streaming live footage to an inserted SD card. You can do this to record beautiful footage, but of course, don’t expect a high-resolution result. Instead, DVR is used more as a diagnostic and safety tool.

By reviewing your FPV footage, you can analyze your performance after a race and see areas of improvement, for example. Or you can also use it to find evidence or the cause of your drone’s crash, if ever. It’s more or less similar to the dashboard camera usually mounted on cars.

On Screen Display (OSD)

While this is technically not part of a VR headset per se, getting OSD on your FPV viewpoint is crucial for a safer flight.

OSD is a way to display critical information directly on your VR screen. These include vital information like battery level, distance from takeoff point, and signal strength, among others more.

As you can imagine, this is very important for VR flying since you have no way of knowing all of these flight-critical data without taking off your headset. For example, knowing how much battery you have left is essential to know so you can safely land your drone in time.

The hardware needed for OSD can either be placed externally in the drone or as an integrated component in its flight controller.

Can You Wear Glasses with FPV Goggles?

A common concern of people who want to buy FPV goggles is when they’re wearing glasses. Fortunately, there are plenty of workarounds you can choose from.

The easiest would be to go with a box type design since these provide plenty of room for your eyeglasses to fit in. Although not all goggles and glasses are sized universally, so do double-check before buying.

If you prefer to use slimline goggles, then you need to remove your glasses. In this case, you can either get diopter inserts to act as your eyeglass substitutes or just use some good old contact lenses.

The Benefits of FPV

It’s more immersive

FPV goggles give you the most immersive experience ever when you’re flying an FPV drone. You have no other things in view that could distract you, making you feel as if you’re in the scene yourself. 

The experience is also pretty unique and is the proper way to fly in FPV mode. 

It allows you to race better

Racing with an FPV goggle gives you the opportunity to see what the drone sees that much faster. This gives you quicker reaction time, allowing you a higher chance of avoiding obstacles and therefore being a better racer.

What’s more, it also doesn’t distract you from anything else in your surroundings. When racing via an FPV monitor, you’re much more prone to something interfering and disturbing your focus. With your FPV goggles on, it’s just you, the drone, and the track. You’re focused.

It works in any lighting situation

One of the biggest problems with FPV monitors is glare. This is especially true when you’re flying FPV outdoors on a bright sunny day. The sun can cast a reflection on your FPV monitor, which makes it hard for you to see anything to maneuver your drone.

With VR headsets, this is mostly eliminated. Since it has a snug fit, it doesn’t let any light go inside to “leak” to your image. The result is a bright, crystal clear image, no matter what time of day you use it.

If you’re a drone racer and have to fly fast outdoors under the sun, then an FPV goggle is mandatory.

It makes moving the camera around easier

Some drones are equipped with Headtracking Technology. This enables the FPV goggle to detect any head movement, then move the drone’s camera by the same amount. In short, you can move the drone’s camera just by moving your head around!

This is actually a very natural and convenient way to view your surroundings or frame an area for a photo or video. It can be as easy as looking around for the perfect photo opportunity. Likewise, you can also use head tracking when you’re doing inspection runs with your drone.