Quote:
Originally Posted by miket
I wouldnt want to remove my focus from the road to read the hud, thats kind of the whole point of a hud.
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Even the nose of the car would require some re-focusing, but putting the focal point at traffic-like distances would be a mistake. If you do that, the numbers will appear to be part of traffic which could make you misinterpret or completely blind you to some key event. Keeping the display at dashboard or at least attached-to-the-car distances avoids that problem by providing some focal separation... Some kind of information the brain can use to sort visible objects.
Really, the practical point of changing the HUD's focal point is to reduce eye strain. Frequently switching between near and far focus tires the eyes. The not-so-practical point is visual impact... It looks cool to have numbers that appear to float in mid air.
Going back to the value of a HUD, I think the main point is to keep your field of view on or very near the road. That way you aren't completely oblivious to the car in front of you that jabbed on its brakes just as you looked down at your mpguino. Your vision doesn't have to be perfectly focused on traffic to see brake lights flip on, but those brake lights
do have to be in your field of vision.