Acceptance and use of virtual reality games: an extension of HMSAM

Virtual reality (VR) is considered as one of the technological megatrends of 2020s, and today, VR systems are used in various settings, digital gaming being among the most popular ones. However, there has been a dearth of understanding regarding the central factors behind VR gaming acceptance and use. The present study therefore aimed to explain the factors that drive the use and acceptance of VR games. We extended the hedonic-motivation system acceptance model with utilitarian and inconvenience factors to capture the pertinent features of VR systems more holistically. We proposed a theoretical model and analyzed it through covariance-based structural equation modeling using an online survey sample of 473 VR gamers. Our findings help explain the role of different antecedents behind VR gaming acceptance and demonstrate that VR gaming is driven more by the hedonic gaming aspects than by the utilitarian health and well-being aspects of VR games, enjoyment being the strongest driver behind VR gaming intention and immersion. Moreover, findings also suggested that use intentions and immersion levels are not significantly diminished by physical discomfort and VR sickness. The findings, which potentially extend to other VR systems as well, also pose important implications for the providers of VR games. As the main contribution, based on our empirical findings, we provide a greater theoretical understanding on VR gaming acceptance and use.

     

Cybersickness during VR gaming undermines game enjoyment: A mediation model

Recent advances in virtual reality (VR) technology have ushered in a new era of VR gaming. While VR gaming experience represents a burgeoning area of research within human-computer interaction circles, the role of cybersickness, physiological repercussions of VR exposure to users characterized by a multitude of symptoms, such as nausea, lightheadedness, and dizziness, in the effect of VR gaming on game enjoyment remains understudied. In two experiments, the current study proposed and tested a causal mediation model in which the effect of VR gaming on game enjoyment was mediated by the level of cybersickness experienced during the gameplay. Results from both experiments supported the proposed model and showed that increased cybersickness levels during VR gaming led to decreases in game enjoyment, indicating that cybersickness experienced during VR gaming undermines the enjoyment of the gaming experience. Results also revealed that compared to traditional desktop gaming, VR gaming invoked greater levels of cybersickness, but VR gaming did not lead to greater levels of game enjoyment. When the effect of cybersickness on game enjoyment was statistically removed, however, VR gaming was found to be more enjoyable. The current experiments provide preliminary evidence that cybersickness may hinder the enjoyment of VR gaming experience.     

Effects of virtual presence and learning outcome using low-end virtual reality systems

Low-cost technology is essential to integrate Virtual Reality (VR) into educative institutions around the world. However, low-cost technology usually refers to low-end technology, which may compromise the level of immersion of the VR system. This study evaluates whether low-end and high-end VR systems achieve a comparable learning outcome regardless their immersion level. We also analyze the relationship between virtual presence and the learning outcome arising from a VR educational experience. An evaluation with 42 participants was conducted. We measured learning outcome and virtual presence under three different configurations, namely: a desktop computer, a low-end VR system, and a high-end VR system. The impact of simulator sickness was also analyzed. Results revealed a lower learning outcome in the less immersive configuration (i.e. desktop) and a similar learning outcome in both low-end and high-end VR systems. Even though low-end VR systems are less immersive and produce a lower level of virtual presence than high-end VR systems, the results support the use of low-end VR systems for educative applications.     

基于Visual C#.NET与3DSTATE实现虚拟现实

虚拟现实技术在军事、航空航天、数字博物馆、虚拟人等领域得到了广泛的应用。但是,由于虚拟现实技术本身的复杂性,使得实现虚拟现实一直以来都是一项较为困难的工作。3DSTATE引擎是一种较新的虚拟现实开发工具,能快速和简便的实现基本的虚拟现实功能,在介绍3DSTATE引擎及3DWoddBuilder的基础上,着重讨论了Visual C#．NET与3DSTATE引擎相结合实现虚拟现实的方法和步骤。     

An effective FoV restriction approach to mitigate VR sickness on mobile devices

It has been noted that restricting field of view (FoV) is effective to mitigate virtual reality (VR) sickness, but it is prone to reduce the immersiveness. We propose an effective FoV restriction approach to mitigate VR sickness on mobile devices. The proposed approach includes a practical and reliable method for measuring VR sickness and a method of effectively limiting the FoV on mobile VR devices. Experimental result shows that the proposed method reduces VR sickness by 31.4%. The method was successfully applied to a VR application.     

基于事件的虚拟现实用户体验评估方法研究

近年来,随着虚拟现实(Virtual Reality,VR)技术的逐渐成熟,我国VR产业处于高速增长的态势。虽然VR的发展为内容设计提供了许多新的可能性,但由于VR应用的设计不成熟,VR行业的从业者们仍面临着严峻的挑战,VR中的设计仍需要通过用户使用来验证是否可行。因此,用户体验(User Experience,UX)研究对于成功设计VR软件至关重要。同时,随着用户对内容质量要求的提高,VR内容是否有足够的吸引力将在很大程度上影响用户体验,决定了用户是否会进行更进一步的VR体验。因此,如何评估VR用户体验并找到影响用户体验的内容对于提高用户体验和用户黏性至关重要。目前,对VR的研究集中在硬件和软件的改善上,对内容设计的关注较少,对用户体验的评价也没有统一且明确的标准。文中尝试找出用户体验和用户特性以及VR内容之间的关联。首先,定义了4种类型的VR交互事件,并设计了一份问卷来收集测试者的用户特性及其主观评价。其次,将80名测试者分成两组,在固定的时间内体验两种类型的VR产品,在实验过程中,测试者的客观生理数据与参与实验的整个过程都被记录下来。最后,采用统计学方法和改进的Prism算法,找...     

虚拟现实的支付研究与设计

近几年来,虚拟现实（Virtual Reality,VR）技术发展迅猛,成为炙手可热的新兴行业.VR硬件已达到基本成熟的阶段,VR应用也应势成为新的掘金点,在影视娱乐、游戏、教育等各个领域都得到了广泛的应用.但在支付领域,市场暂无优秀的VR支付解决方案.本文基于虚拟现实的支付研究,旨在利用token技术,通过VR设备内安全模块加密保护银行卡数据和支付数据,并利用3D建模技术构建沉浸式VR支付场景,以寻求安全、便捷、开放的VR支付方案.研究结果表明,该设计解决了现今VR支付产品交互难、安全性低的问题,并且有效提高了支付成功率.     

虚拟现实定义的探讨

该文主要探讨了虚拟现实的定义,首先分析了一些虚拟现实系统的实例和先前人们对虚拟现实概念的定义,指出了对虚拟现实原词意在翻译中容易产生的误解。然后作者提出了虚拟现实的定义的三个属性：即仿真性、互动性和想象性。并指出,虚拟现实系统是对现实世界中各事物本质和内在的模拟和仿真;虚拟现实系统是因人而动,描绘了虚拟现实系统与人的关系;虚拟现实系统能给操作人员提供一个合理的想象空间,使操作人员身处虚拟环境能进行有效的操作。对比较费解的想象性作了注解。最后指出虚拟现实是个大集合,完全可以作为一门学科。     

Virtual reality with fMRI: a breakthrough cognitive treatment tool

The impact of virtual reality (VR) has been felt in a wide range of fields over the past 10 years. VR has been shown to be an effective treatment for anxiety, phobia, pain, posttraumatic stress disorder, stress inoculation training, and drug and alcohol addiction. The emerging application of VR in conjunction with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is helping to improve upon current VR systems, and in the future will aid in creating more effective treatments for patients. With the advent of fMRI-safe VR goggles, brain activity can be studied in real time as a patient undergoes a VR treatment. The use of brain imaging during a VR session allows for the study of the brain itself as a patient interacts in a real-world environment. Studies are showing that by using VR in combination with fMRI, a new emergence of data about previously-elusive functions of the brain can be expected.     

Wayfinding behaviour in a multi-level building: A comparative study of HMD VR and Desktop VR

Virtual Reality (VR) provides the possibility to study pedestrian wayfinding behaviour in multi-level buildings. Although VR has been applied increasingly to study pedestrian behaviour, it has remained unclear how different VR technology would affect behavioural outcomes in a multi-level building. The study compares the adoption of different VR technologies for pedestrian wayfinding studies, via investigating the difference in pedestrian wayfinding behaviour and user experience. Wayfinding experiments with two groups of participants were conducted using either HMD VR or Desktop VR. Pedestrian movement trajectory data were collected via the VR system and user experience data were recorded via a questionnaire. These data allow for direct comparison and detailed analysis of pedestrian behaviour and user experience between the adoption of two VR technologies. The results showed that technological differences have a significant impact on wayfinding task performance and head rotation change. However, the route choice, exit choice and user experience were overall similar between the two groups. These results provide empirical evidence supporting researchers to choose between immersive and non-immersive VR when study pedestrian wayfinding behaviour.     

Semiotics of virtual reality as a communication process

ABSTRACT

The experience of immersive virtual reality (VR) can be considered as a communication process between human beings, mediated by computer systems, which uses visualisation and other sensory stimulation. In this paper, we analyse how VR characteristics can be explored using semiotic theory and, with methods of generative semiotics, we explore aspects of narrative and interaction in VR. We propose a semiotic analysis of VR communication focusing on syntax, semantics and pragmatics and considering also some principles of generative semiotics. The syntactic level is analysed as determined by the characteristics of the visual communication adopted. The semantic of VR is related to the functional model chosen to realise the virtual system. The pragmatic of VR is based on the human–computer interaction that changes the user's role. We explore how these aspects can be characterised in the context of VR communication design and what principles can be adopted for a VR application, and we present an analysis and a classification of the iconic signs that are being used in VR. Moreover, we present a framework that can be used to classify and describe different kinds of virtual reality systems and to better understand communication in VR, and we use it to classify eight popular systems for e-learning and collaboration.     

基于Simulink上的虚拟现实环境动态系统仿真

介绍了MATLAB中虚拟现实动态系统的开发、运行环境以及虚拟现实工具箱的核心虚拟现实模块,着重介绍了如何利用虚拟现实工具箱在Simulink环境中建立倒立摆控制系统的虚拟现实动态系统仿真的方法,并给出了虚拟现实动态仿真的结果。虚拟现实动态仿真形象逼真,在本地计算机上具有交互性,并在远程计算机上可观察其动态仿真效果。     

A virtual reality keyboard with realistic haptic feedback in a fully immersive virtual environment

This study presents a 3D virtual reality (VR) keyboard system with realistic haptic feedback. The system uses two five-fingered data gloves to track finger positions and postures, uses micro-speakers to create simulated vibrations, and uses a head-mounted display (HMD) for 3D display. When users press a virtual key in the VR environment, the system can provide realistic simulated key click haptic feedback to users. The results of this study show that the advantages of the haptic VR keyboard are that users can use it when wearing HMDs (users do not need to remove HMDs to use the VR keyboard), the haptic VR keyboard can pop-up display at any location in the VR environments (users do not need to go to a specific location to use an actual physical keyboard), and the haptic VR keyboard can be used to provide realistic key click haptic feedback (which other studies have shown enhances user performance). The results also show that the haptic VR keyboard system can be used to create complex vibrations that simulate measured vibrations from a real keyboard and enhance keyboard interaction in a fully immersive VR environment.     

Tomorrow''s space: Journey to the virtual worlds

The new technology of Virtual Reality (VR) provides a revolutionary way to improve the coupling of the human operator to the computing machine. In a VR system, the goal is to remove the distinction between the system and the user's environment, as compared to the conventional relationship between the user and a computer. Thus, to be able to immerse the user in his artificial world, the VR system shall make use simultaneously of the human senses and of his cognitive capacities. In practice, the VR system is the integration of computer graphics and various sensor and actuator technology to create the illusion of immersion in a computer generated reality.

VR has therefore been identified as a good candidate for the Technological Research Programme of the European Space Agency (ESA). In 1991, the Agency has initiated research activities in the field of VR to identify its potential applications for European space programmes. A generic VR system has been developed allowing the Agency to evaluate the performance of VR technology and to define research activities for the coming years. The aims are to build a European expertise in VR technology and to demonstrate the applicability of VR to space programmes.     

Treating psychological and phsyical disorders with VR

We present some applications that therapists have used with patients. Treating psychological disorders is one aspect of a larger application area of VR that we refer to as clinical virtual reality-the direct use of VR as a tool in treating or assessing psychological and physical disorders. Examples of clinical applications that use VR include treatment of phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder in Vietnam War veterans, eating disorders, pain distraction; and physical (stroke and orthopedic) rehabilitation. This article offers some general ideas on how clinical VR applications fundamentally differ from many other VR applications and presents three detailed examples of current clinical VR applications that have moved from the demonstration phase to actual use with patients in a clinical setting     

A hardware-independent virtual reality development system

Simulating virtual reality (VR) hardware allows programs to be written in a desktop environment without constant use of limited VR resources. Rather than shifting constantly between VR and workstation environments, developers at the Electronic Visualization Laboratory (EVL) wanted to be able to test VR applications on the normal workstation console. We therefore created a software simulator for VR development. It simulates various VR system features with an interface that runs on an ordinary workstation. The simulator is implemented as part of the CAVE library, the programming library originally written to support the CAVE hardware. It can, however, be used to develop applications for several VR systems, including ImmersaDesks and head-coupled displays. The library itself has been designed so that use of the simulator or any supported hardware is entirely transparent to application code     

A survey on virtual reality

Virtual reality (VR) is a scientific method and technology created during the exploration of the nature by human beings to understand, simulate, and better adapt and use the nature. Based on the analysis on the whole process of VR, this paper presents different categories of VR problems and a type of theoretical expression, and abstracts three kinds of scientific and technical problems in VR field. On the basis of foresaid content, this paper also studies current major research objectives, research results and development trend of VR in the aspects of VR modeling method, VR representation technology, human-machine interaction and devices, VR development suites and supporting infrastructure, as well as VR applications. Finally, several theoretical and technical problems that need to be further studied and solved are addressed. Supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2009CB320805), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 60533070, 60503066), and the National High-Tech Research & Development Program of China (Grant Nos. 2006AA01Z333, 2006AA01Z311)     

What's real about virtual reality?

The author presents a personal assessment of the state of the art of VR. In 1994, he surveyed the field of VR. His assessment then was that VR almost worked, but that we were not yet there. There were lots of demos and pilot systems, but except for vehicle simulators and entertainment applications, VR was not yet in production use doing real work. This year he was invited to do an up-to-date assessment of VR, with funding to visit major centers in North America and Europe. Every one of the component technologies has made big strides. Moreover, I found that there now exist some VR applications routinely operated for the results they produce.     

Three views of virtual reality: nonimmersive virtual reality

Nonimmersive virtual reality (VR), which places the user in a 3D environment that can be directly manipulated with a conventional graphics workstation using a monitor, a keyboard; and a mouse, is discussed. The scene is displayed with the same 3D depth cues used in immersive VR: perspective view, hidden-surface elimination, color, texture, lighting, shading and shadows. As in immersive VR, animation and simulation are interactively controlled in response to the user's direct manipulation. Much of the technology used to support immersive and nonimmersive VR is the same. They use the same 3D modeling and rendering and many of the same interaction techniques. The advantages and applications of nonimmersive VR systems are discussed. Immersive and nonimmersive VR systems are compared and hybrid possibilities are reviewed     

用于虚拟现实系统的眼动交互技术综述

眼动人机交互利用眼动特点可以增强用户的沉浸感和提高舒适度,在虚拟现实（VR）系统中融入眼动交互技术对VR系统的普及起到至关重要的作用,已成为近年来的研究热点。对VR眼动交互技术的原理和类别进行阐述,分析了将VR系统与眼动交互技术结合的优势,归纳了目前市面上主流VR头显设备及典型的应用场景。在对有关VR眼动追踪相关实验分析的基础上,总结了VR眼动的研究热点问题,包括微型化设备、屈光度矫正、优质内容的匮乏、晕屏与眼球图像失真、定位精度、近眼显示系统,并针对相关的热点问题展望相应的解决方案。