Apparatus and method for image display

A virtual object viewing method comprising the steps of:

• providing a portable image display unit having an image input unit mounted thereon;
• providing an external database from which image data are transferred to said portable image display unit;
• providing a base image corresponding to a view of the image display unit at an initial position;
• processing input image data produced by the image input unit to detect a movement of the view of the portable image display unit to a subsequent position and remote controlling a view of a virtual camera in accordance with a detected movement;
• generating data indicative of the view of the remote camera that is placed remotely from the portable image display unit in a virtual world and that is controlled in response to the movement of the portable image display unit detected in said step of processing;
• displaying on portable image display unit a resultant image based on data generated in said step of generating;
• and
• calculating a horizontal pixel level shift and a vertical pixel level shift of the portable display unit based on the detected movement of the view of the portable display unit from the initial position to the subsequent position and respectively translated to an angle of rotation about a horizontal direction and an angle of rotation about a vertical direction for controlling the view of the virtual camera and the resultant display on the portable display unit.