Virtual Reality Locomotion: Four Evaluated Locomotion Methods

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Virtual Reality Locomotion: Four Evaluated Locomotion Methods Department of Economics and IT Division of Informatics Virtual Reality Locomotion: Four Evaluated Locomotion Methods Rasmus Karlsson & Alvar Sveninge 2017 University West, Trollhättan, SWEDEN Bachelor of Science with a major in Informatics Supervisor Examiner William Jobe Ulrika Lundh Snis Abstract Virtual Reality consumer hardware is now available for the masses through the HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR. Locomotion or virtual travel inside immersive experiences is an area which is yet to be fully solved due to space constraints, problems with retaining immersion and potential sickness. This thesis had the goal of evaluating user preferences for four locomotion methods in Virtual Reality with a first generation HTC Vive through the gaming platform Steam. The theoretical framework provides an elementary understanding of the field of Virtual Reality and how humans interact and get affected by locomotion in that context. To contextualize the experience of evaluating the locomotion systems the Hedonic-Motivation System Adoption Model is used as it covers intrinsic motivation which is common in video games, social networking and virtual worlds. An extensive process for games selection has been performed which has resulted in four locomotion methods with four games per method. Sixteen participants got to test one locomotion method each where their gameplay got recorded for later observation. After each game session answers were provided by the participants based on surveys and after completion of all games a questionnaire gauged their sickness level. The conclusion proved inconclusive. While the results without interpretation showed the locomotion method Artificial as the overall winner a range of potential problems were found with the study in general. Some problems included observations which did not provide the expected results, introducing doubt into either how the study was conducted or the reliability of certain users. A larger sampler size along with a better study procedure could possibly have provided a more conclusive answer. Keywords VR, Virtual Reality, Locomotion, HTC Vive, Steam, SteamVR, Games, Room-Scale. Contents 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................... 1 1.1. Background ............................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2. Problem ....................................................................................................................................................... 4 1.3. Purpose ....................................................................................................................................................... 4 1.4. Question ...................................................................................................................................................... 4 2. Theoretical Framework ..................................................................................... 5 2.1. Physiology .................................................................................................................................................. 5 2.2. Immersion .................................................................................................................................................. 5 2.3. Locomotion ................................................................................................................................................ 6 2.4. Sicknesses .................................................................................................................................................. 8 3. Hedonic-Motivation System Adoption Model .......................................... 10 4. Methodology ....................................................................................................... 12 4.1. Research Methods ............................................................................................................................... 12 4.2. Contextual Review ............................................................................................................................... 14 4.3. Games Selection .................................................................................................................................... 15 4.3.1. 1st Pass ............................................................................................................................................... 15 4.3.2. 2nd Pass ............................................................................................................................................. 16 4.3.3. 3rd Pass .............................................................................................................................................. 17 4.3.4. 4th Pass .............................................................................................................................................. 18 4.3.4.1. Artificial ........................................................................................................................................................................ 18 4.3.4.2. Dashing .......................................................................................................................................................................... 20 4.3.4.3. Physical ......................................................................................................................................................................... 21 4.3.4.4. Teleport ........................................................................................................................................................................ 22 4.4. Data Collection ...................................................................................................................................... 24 4.4.1. Observation ..................................................................................................................................... 24 4.4.1.1. Game Recording ........................................................................................................................................................ 24 4.4.1.2. Video Editing .............................................................................................................................................................. 24 4.4.2. Experiments .................................................................................................................................... 25 4.4.2.1. Procedure ..................................................................................................................................................................... 26 4.4.2.2. Settings .......................................................................................................................................................................... 26 5. Results ................................................................................................................... 27 5.1. Survey ....................................................................................................................................................... 27 5.2. Observation ............................................................................................................................................ 30 5.3. Questionnaire ........................................................................................................................................ 32 6. Analysis ................................................................................................................ 33 6.1. Survey ....................................................................................................................................................... 33 6.2. Observation ............................................................................................................................................ 34 6.3. Questionnaire ........................................................................................................................................ 34 7. Discussion ............................................................................................................ 35 8. Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 37 References 38 Supplement 44 1. Introduction This chapter will give an overview of what Virtual Reality is, the type of equipment used in this thesis and how the area of locomotion methods in the context is a problem not fully solved yet. 1.1. Background The year was 1968 when the idea for a Head-Mounted Display (HMD) was fully implemented by Ivan Sutherland (1968). A HMD presents the user with a perspective image which enables the user to perceive depth in three-dimensional space. Whenever the user moves the image moves as accurately as possible in relation to how the HMD moves. If the user moves around enough objects can be perceived from different angles and sizes. This implementation of the HMD had a display limit of 30 Frames per Second (FPS), a 40-degree field of view, limited graphics in the form of wireframes and restricted movement as the HMD was tethered to the room because it would be unwieldy to wear for the user otherwise. In 1987 the term Virtal Reality (VR) was coined and popularized by Jaron Lanier (Virtual Reality Society, 2016). VR means an artificial
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