Effects of display type and motion control on cybersickness in a virtual bike simulator

Abstract

Cybersickness is an ongoing issue in VR usage. Effects of display types and different means of a virtual avatar’s navigation control on the degree of sickness are disputed or sparsely investigated. In the present study, participants were instructed to ride a virtual bike across a virtual island. Participants used either a head-mounted display (HMD) or a large TV screen for VR presentation and a bike ergometer or a gamepad for motion control. Cybersickness in three different conditions, each with 20 participants, was assessed with the SSQ prior, on multiple occasions during and after VR immersion. Results indicated higher sickness scores with the HMD than in the large screen condition. However, no differences between the means of control were observed. Additional correlation analyses revealed significant relationships between the sickness scores with past motion sickness history in the conditions using the bike ergometer. Sickness scores in the gamepad condition were not related to past motion sickness but showed a significant negative correlation to video game usage. Possible reasons for missing differences between means of control are discussed. Effects of different virtual vehicles on user expectations regarding motion control should be investigated. The study provides a new approach to the relationship of cybersickness and demographic variables.