History Main / HeadsUpDisplay

* Most [[SimulationGame combat flight simulators]] will naturally at least try to emulate a real-life military-style HUD:
%% Examples are not general? But I'll allow it?
** ''VideoGame/AbsoluteZero'' had an interesting justification in its [[AllThereInTheManual fluff]] for the HUD, and even for the 1st-person cockpit graphics. Instead of actually having windows or internal displays, the pilot cabins and such in all of the vehicles are windowless and featureless. Instead of windows, the pilot wears a VR helmet, which is fed by cameras and other sensors to make a composite of the world outside the vehicle. To keep the pilot from being disoriented, a virtual cockpit with windows and instruments is inserted into the augmented reality.
** ''VideoGame/AceCombat'' series models [=HUDs=] for military fighter planes on the actual fighter planes. However, the ability overreaches, as the player is able to see targeting boxes around enemy targets at any point in the cockpit, not just through the HUD. This include third person perspectives.
** ''VideoGame/OverGFighters'': The [=HUD=] may be toggled (as a view mode) between ''Ace Combat'' style and a realistic HUD where all of the information ''is'' displayed on the transparent panel.
* PoweredArmor: Just about any game with it have a HUD {{justified|Trope}} by being overlaid on a helmet visor:
%% Examples are not general? But I'll allow it??
** ''VideoGame/AzraelsTear'' also outfits the PlayerCharacter with a nifty suit of PoweredArmor, and the HUD will even visibly list off its attempts to resuscitate its wearer in the event of death.
** In ''VideoGame/{{Crysis}}'', the player's entire view is apparently electronic, and is distorted by close proximity to aliens or a near miss with a gauss rifle. The HUD itself has a loading screen that is shown when the suit is activated. It can also be disabled by a disruption grenade in multiplayer, removing all of its functionality.
** ''Franchise/DeadSpace'': is an unusual third-person example with no HUD at all. The health meter is represented by the lights along the back of the character's suit, remaining ammo in a gun is shown through a display on the gun itself, and the inventory display is actually projected by the character's suit, with the protagonist looking at the various item boxes and physically pointing to the item he wants to use. The point of the latter is debatable, since the items are kept in HammerSpace.
** Entering a suit of it in ''VideoGame/Fallout4'' will transform your HUD into a DiegeticInterface, with your ammo counter in a corner of the helmet and your AP, health, and Geiger counters as gauges along the bottom edge. In addition, there's another gauge tracking how much charge is left in the fusion core powering the armor, and a small screen off to the side tracking your armor's condition, with parts needing repair highlighted in red and missing/broken armor parts blank. Your Pip-Boy menu, which usually brings your wrist-mounted Pip-Boy up to your eye level when you open it, is now a window that pops up on your helmet's HUD. Also, your Pip-Boy flashlight (which provides illumination by brightening the Pip-Boy's screen) is replaced with a built-in helmet light, so if you're not wearing your power armor's helmet, you can't access either flashlight.
** ''Franchise/{{Halo}}''. Especially notable in that from ''VideoGame/{{Halo 3}}'' onward, the HUD loses its curvature when the camera goes third-person.
** All of the ''VideoGame/MechWarrior'' games have a HUD of some form to display information regarding aspects of your 'mech and enemy units.
** ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime'''s display is meant to be the HUD inside Samus's helmet. This is reinforced by the fact that the edges of the helmet's visor are visible around the borders of the screen, water or steam occasionally accumulates on the display, and certain flashes of light can actually cause the player character's reflection to become momentarily visible in the screen, making Samus one of the few FPS heroes to have reaction shots. ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime2Echoes'' even includes an enemy that can crash Samus's computer systems, causing screen updates to become jerky, random letters to scroll up the screen, and weapons to be disabled until you "reboot" with a button command.

Though very different technologically, the term is frequently used in the context of video games to describe a style of user interface where supplemental data is overlaid directly onto the MainWindow rather than being separated into a different display panel. This allows the MainWindow to occupy the entire viewport of the game. The name probably originated with the fact that the earliest uses of this design were in flight simulators, where an actual HUD was being emulated. A video game HUD may be {{diegetic|Interface}}, meaning that it is actually part of the in-game world and visible to the character (more common in sci-fi), or just for the player's benefit.

* ''Film/StarTrekIntoDarkness'': [[TheCaptain Kirk]] and [[BigBad Khan]] space-jump in suits with [=HUDs=] to guide them--until Kirk's helmet gets hit by a rock and the display fails.

* ''Series/BlakesSeven''. Shown in the TitleSequence of Season D, from the POV of a spacecraft flying across an asteroid.

* ''SpaceHulk: Deathwing'' does this, with a unique little detail. Every other minute or so, your suit's displays will flicker and glitch a moment before rebooting themselves. It's a clever little nod to the fact that the Terminator Armor you are lumbering around in is magnatudes older than the already centuries old Space Marines inside them, and the inner workings are showing their age.

* in "Literature/NoSuchThingAsWerewolves" Mohn Corps issues it's higher ranked soldiers shades that provide them with a tactical HUD.

Though very different technologically, the term is frequently used in the context of video games to describe a style of user interface where supplemental data is overlaid directly onto the MainWindow rather than being separated into a different display panel. This allows the MainWindow to occupy the entire viewport of the game. The name probably originated with the fact that the earliest uses of this design were in flight simulators, where an actual HUD was being emulated. A video game HUD may be [[DiegeticInterface diegetic]], meaning that it is actually part of the in-game world and visibile to the character (more common in sci-fi), or just for the player's benefit.

* Starting with the "Mark II" armor, the suits built and worn by Tony Stark in all the three ''Film/IronMan'' films and ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}''. There are both POV shots of it and shots inside the helmet where it's projected in front of Tony. It starts to flicker and fail when he takes damage. It completely disappears when faced with the icing problem in the first film and when it's travels into space in ''The Avengers''.
* In ''Film/TheLivingDaylights'', Film/JamesBond's WeaponizedCar has these for aiming its missiles.
* ''Film/MissionImpossibleGhostProtocol''. The concept car driven by the IMF team has a road map displayed on the windscreen as they race to stop TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt, and even warns of pedestrians crossing the road.
* In ''Film/StarTrekIntoDarkness'', [[TheCaptain Kirk]] and [[BigBad Khan]] space-jump in suits with [=HUDs=] to guide them--until Kirk's helmet gets hit by a rock and the display fails.

[[folder:Video Games]]
* Most [[SimulationGame combat flight simulators]] will naturally at least try to emulate a real-life military-style HUD.
** The ''VideoGame/AceCombat'' series models [=HUDs=] for military fighter planes on the actual fighter planes. However, the ability overreaches, as the player is able to see targeting boxes around enemy targets at any point in the cockpit, not just through the HUD. This include third person perspectives.
** In ''Over G Fighters'', the [=HUD=] may be toggled (as a view mode) between ''Ace Combat'' style and a realistic HUD where all of the information ''is'' displayed on the transparent panel.
* ''VideoGame/{{Chantelise}}'': The HUD shows currently equipped items, a LifeMeter, a ManaMeter and a LevelMapDisplay.
** ''VideoGame/RecettearAnItemShopsTale'': Has a LifeMeter, a ManaMeter, an ExperienceMeter, and a LevelMapDisplay in its combat sections.
* Just about any game with PoweredArmor will have a [[DiegeticInterface diegetic]] HUD [[JustifiedTrope justified]] by being overlaid on a helmet visor. Following examples include:
* ''VideoGame/FortuneSummoners'': There's a picture of your current character's face in the very upper left corner, and that corner holds your ManaMeter, your LifeMeter with current HitPoints, and your ExperienceMeter. The lower right shows enemy information. Basically what enemy is currently being targetted, and how much life they have, via a LifeMeter.

** In ''VideoGame/{{Crysis}}'', the player's entire view is apparently electronic, and is distorted by close proximity to aliens or a near miss with a gauss rifle. The HUD itself has a loading screen that is shown when the suit is activated. It can also be disabled by a disruption grenade in multiplayer, removing all of its functionality.
** ''VideoGame/AzraelsTear'' also outfits the PlayerCharacter with a nifty suit of PoweredArmor, and the HUD will even visibly list off its attempts to resuscitate its wearer in the event of death.

** ''Franchise/DeadSpace'' is an unusual third-person example with no HUD at all. The health meter is represented by the lights along the back of the character's suit, remaining ammo in a gun is shown through a display on the gun itself, and the inventory display is actually projected by the character's suit, with the protagonist looking at the various item boxes and physically pointing to the item he wants to use. The point of the latter is debatable, since the items are kept in HammerSpace.
** Entering a suit of PoweredArmor in ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 4}}'' will transform your HUD into a DiegeticInterface, with your ammo counter in a corner of the helmet and your AP, health, and Geiger counters as gauges along the bottom edge. In addition, there's another gauge tracking how much charge is left in the fusion core powering the armor, and a small screen off to the side tracking your armor's condition, with parts needing repair highlighted in red and missing/broken armor parts blank. Your Pip-Boy menu, which usually brings your wrist-mounted Pip-Boy up to your eye level when you open it, is now a window that pops up on your helmet's HUD. Also, your Pip-Boy flashlight (which provides illumination by brightening the Pip-Boy's screen) is replaced with a built-in helmet light, so if you're not wearing your power armor's helmet, you can't access either flashlight.
* The computer games in the ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquer'' series are supposed to take place on a computer controlled by a remote commander. Allies, hero units, fellow commanders, and enemies will often contact the player by video and be displayed to a portion of the screen (often the area containing the map - which is only available when the radar is working.)
* In the remade ''VideoGame/{{Battlezone|1998}}'' games, which have more in common with ''Command & Conquer'' than the old vector-graphics ''Battlezone'', all commands and build orders are given through HUD sidebars, much as using pre-made text/voice responses in modern-day {{FPS}}es like ''VideoGame/UnrealTournament''. They ARE a little more action-y than the standard RTS hybrid, so this is to be expected. (though you can give orders you are also fighting on the field, and randomly snagging enemy craft when the mood hits you.)
* ''VideoGame/AbsoluteZero'' had an interesting justification in its [[AllThereInTheManual fluff]] for the HUD, and even for the 1st-person cockpit graphics. Instead of actually having windows or internal displays, the pilot cabins and such in all of the vehicles are windowless and featureless. Instead of windows, the pilot wears a VR helmet, which is fed by cameras and other sensors to make a composite of the world outside the vehicle. To keep the pilot from being disoriented, a virtual cockpit with windows and instruments is inserted into the augmented reality.

** ''VideoGame/DeusExHumanRevolution'' does away with the elliptical shape, but is still very much [[DiegeticInterface diegetic]] as one of the protagonist's numerous augmentations. The HUD flickers at first until you get Pritchard to fix it and standing too close to a EMP blast causes the entire HUD to shut off and reboot.
* All of the ''VideoGame/MechWarrior'' games have a HUD of some form to display information regarding aspects of your 'mech and enemy units.
* ''{{Echelon}}''[='s=] HUD would partially disappear when entering enemy disabling fields.
* EliteDangerous has a display like this, marking out important objects like stars, planets, orbital space stations, navigational beacons, and other information like gravitational orbits on the glass of the canopy. It's worth noting that this is an InUniverse mechanic; if you break your canopy, you'll have to navigate to the nearest space station via whatever glass fragments remain.

* ''VideoGame/{{Chantelise}}'': The HUD shows currently equipped items, a LifeMeter, and a LevelMapDisplay.
** ''VideoGame/RecettearAnItemShopsTale'': Has a LifeMeter, a ManaMeter, and a LevelMapDisplay in its combat sections.

A real-world HUD must under no circumstances interfere with the operator's view beyond the panel. In videogames this constraint is relaxed somewhat, since you can hardly display information outside of the monitor or TV screen (unless a [[NintendoDS second screen]] counts...).

You will be shocked to learn that HUD has nothing to do with the PaulNewman movie of the same name, which is about a ranching family. The United States' [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Housing_and_Urban_Development Department of Housing and Urban Development]] is ''right out''.

* All of the ''MechWarrior'' games had a hud of some form to display information regarding aspects of your 'mech and enemy units.

** The ''AceCombat'' series models [=HUDs=] for military fighter planes on the actual fighter planes. However, the ability overreaches, as the player is able to see targeting boxes around enemy targets at any point in the cockpit, not just through the HUD. This include third person perspectives.

* In ''CodeGeass'', the [[http://codegeass.wikia.com/wiki/Factsphere_Sensor Factsphere Sensor]] (which is essentially an advanced thermo-camera) works this way, providing extra information to the pilot's cockpit screens. A miniaturized version is used by Britannian soldiers in their helmets (as seen with Suzaku's helmet display in episode 1), and is compared to a HUD in the wiki article.

** ''VideoGame/DeusExHumanRevolution'' does away with the elliptical shape, but is still very much [[DiegeticInterface diegetic]] as one of the protagonist's numerous augmentations. The HUD even flickers at first until you get Pritchard to fix it.

** ''VideoGame/StarWarsRepublicCommando'' also has the HUD as the electronic display inside the player's helmet. EMP grenades can disrupt this or cover the screen with noise. Most awesomely, the front of the helmet has some sort of energy ''windshield wiper'' that cleans your HUD of obstructions - usually splattered blood from an enemy after a punch-dagger to the face. It's also probably one of the only HUDs where you can actually see the inside of your helmet.

*** Another ''Star Wars'' example is in ''Literature/LegacyOfTheForce'', where Karen Traviss is more than a little obsessed with the HUD inside Boba Fett's helmet. Unsurprisingly, she's the one responsible for those awesome guys from Republic Commando being more than just one-off characters.

* ''AbsoluteZero'' had an interesting justification in its [[AllThereInTheManual fluff]] for the HUD, and even for the 1st-person cockpit graphics. Instead of actually having windows or internal displays, the pilot cabins and such in all of the vehicles are windowless and featureless. Instead of windows, the pilot wears a VR helmet, which is fed by cameras and other sensors to make a composite of the world outside the vehicle. To keep the pilot from being disoriented, a virtual cockpit with windows and instruments is inserted into the augmented reality.

* ''VideoGame/{{Chantelise}}'': The HUD shows currently equipped items, a HealthMeter, and a LevelMapDisplay.
** ''VideoGame/RecettearAnItemShopsTale'': Has a HealthMeter, a ManaMeter, and a LevelMapDisplay in its combat sections.

* ''VideoGame/Chantelise'': The HUD shows currently equipped items, a HealthMeter, and a LevelMapDisplay.

If it's the first person view of a robot, or otherwise mechanical being, then you're looking at RoboCam. When it's actually part of the game environment, it's a DiegeticInterface.

* ''[[/folder]]