A Comparison of Distance Estimation in HMD-Based Virtual Environments with Different HMD-Based Conditions

Abstract

Underestimation of egocentric distances in immersive virtual environments using various head-mounted displays (HMDs) has been a puzzling topic of research interest for several years. As more commodity-level systems become available to developers, it is important to test the variation of underestimation in each system since reasons for underestimation remain elusive. In this article, we examine several different systems in two experiments and comparatively evaluate how much users underestimate distances in each one. To observe distance estimation behavior, a standard indirect blind walking task was used. An Oculus Rift DK1, weighted Oculus Rift DK1, Oculus Rift DK1 with an artificially restricted field of view, Nvis SX60, Nvis SX111, Oculus Rift DK2, Oculus Rift consumer version (CV1), and HTC Vive were tested. The weighted and restricted field of view HMDs were evaluated to determine the effect of these factors on distance underestimation; the other systems were evaluated because they are popular systems that are widely available. We found that weight and field of view restrictions heightened underestimation in the Rift DK1. Results from these conditions were comparable to the Nvis SX60 and SX111. The Oculus Rift DK1 and CV1 possessed the least amount of distance underestimation, but in general, commodity-level HMDs provided more accurate estimates of distance than the prior generation of HMDs.

Teleporting through virtual environments: Effects of path scale and environment scale on spatial updating

“…This hypothesis is consistent with the notion that path integration error accrues with travel distance, and thus larger travel distances would produce larger errors. It is also consistent with research showing that distance in virtual reality is under-perceived, and that such perceptual errors are proportional to the actual distance (see [12,33] for reviews), even in modern displays [7,20].…”

Virtual Objects Look Farther on the Sides: The Anisotropy of Distance Perception in Virtual Reality

“…The weight of the HMD itself might also contribute to the phenomenon [44]. Recent studies have shown that modern HMDs significantly reduce distance underestimation in VR, even if some differences remain about their distance compression depending on the experimental conditions [9,26].…”

Mind the Gap: Gap Affordance Judgments of Children, Teens, and Adults in an Immersive Virtual Environment

“…The question of distance underestimation within HMDs has been examined extensively with adults, using the traditionally heavier and limited-field-of-view HMDs, as well as more recent comparisons to commodity-level HMDs. Recent consensus with commodity-level HMDs points to less underestimation of distance compared to what was traditionally found in early studies (Young et al, 2014;Creem-Regehr et al, 2015b;Kelly et al, 2017;Buck et al, 2018). Given that recent work still finds some distance compression in IVEs in the HTC Vive with adults (Kelly et al, 2017), perhaps children perceived even less compression than teens or adults, which would provide an alternative explanation for their more conservative affordance judgments (i.e., if children perceive the width of the gap to be farther, then they would choose a smaller interval as crossable).…”