From the comfort of home: examining consumer virtual reality use in the home

Virtual Reality (VR) is maturing as a technology. Now that mainstream head-mounted displays (HMDs) are consumer-affordable, the space of application development has begun in earnest. Some of this development transitions existing applications (e.g. computer games) to work with a 3D tracked interface while others explore completely novel and innovative uses of VR. The idea of using VR in architectural practice has a long history. As a tool with the potential to allow 3D visualisation at 1:1scale, the use-case for architectural visualisation has seemed natural and obvious since the early days of the technology. However, the realisation of this idea was not initially straightforward. In 2000 UCL built a CAVE-like VR projection theatre – this is a 3m x 3m room where three of the four walls and the floor are stereo displays, viewed through tracked stereo glasses allowing perspective-correct stereo views. This was driven by a state-of-the-art SGI computer, many times more powerful than any standard PC (and about 20 times the size). However, despite this vast graphics processing power, most architectural models, could not easily be adapted to this new technology. These models had been designed for accurate renderings of detailed geometry. Twenty minutes of processing with standard computer graphics applications on a desktop PC could produce a beautiful rendering of a view into this model, but VR demands real-time frame rates (ideally at least 60 frames per second) and the models were simply too large and detailed for this. These tensions between designs for single viewpoint renderings and designs for real-time rendering are now better understood, and advances in both graphics hardware and software have improved this situation. However recent trends in consumer VR towards standalone headsets mean that simulations are now driven by the same graphics processors that drive the mobile devices in our pockets. Aside from these technical hurdles, the cost has been the main contributing factor to the relatively slow uptake of VR as a tool for exploring design, but now that we have affordable devices available, what are the factors that still hinder progress?

Because virtual reality (VR) shares common features with video games, consumer content is usually classified according to traditional game genres and standards. However, VR offers different experiences based on the medium's unique affordances. To account for this disparity, the article presents a comparative analysis of titles from the Steam digital store across three platform types: VR only, VR supported, and non-VR. We analyzed data from a subset of the most popular applications within each category ( <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">N</i> = 141, 93, and 1217, respectively). The three classification types we analyzed were academic game genres, developer defined categories, and user-denoted tags. Results identify the most common content classifications (e.g., Action and Shooter within VR only applications), the relative availability of each between platforms (e.g., Casual is more common in VR only than VR supported or non-VR), general platform popularity (e.g., VR only received less positive ratings than VR supported and non-VR), and which content types are associated with higher user ratings across platforms (e.g., Action and Music/Rhythm are most positively rated in VR only). Our findings ultimately provide a foundational framework for future theoretical constructions of classification systems based on content, market, interactivity, sociality, and service dependencies, which underlay how consumer VR is currently categorized.

Consumer Virtual Reality (VR) has been widely used in various application areas, such as entertainment and medicine. In spite of the superb immersion experience, to enable high-quality VR on untethered mobile devices remains an extremely challenging task. The high bandwidth demands of VR streaming generally overburden a conventional wireless connection, which affects the user experience and in turn limits the usability of VR in practice. In this paper, we propose FoVR, attention-based hierarchical VR streaming through bandwidth-limited wireless networks. The design of FoVR stems from the insight that human's vision is hierarchical, so that different areas in the field of view (FoV) can be served with VR content of different qualities. By exploiting the gaze tracking capacity of the VR devices, FoVR is able to accurately predict the user's attention so that the streaming of hierarchical VR can be appropriately scheduled. In this way, FoVR significantly reduces the bandwidth cost and computing cost while keeping high quality of user experience. We implement FoVR on a commercial VR device and evaluate its performance in various scenarios. The experiment results show that FoVR reduces the bandwidth cost by 88.9% and 76.2%, respectively compared to the original VR streaming and the state-of-the-art approach.

With virtual reality technologies entering the consumer market this year, it is the task of those producing content for the virtual reality platform to ensure that users have an experience that lives up to expectations. Virtual reality comes with its own strengths and weaknesses, and these must be taken into account when designing applications to produce the best possible experience for interaction. This paper employs a qualitative case study to examine participants in sessions with a virtual reality game prototype utilizing the Oculus Rift. The game prototype was designed to investigate problem areas of virtual reality. Data was then analyzed through thematic analysis, and a preliminary set of game design heuristics specific to virtual reality were created. These heuristics are written so that virtual reality game designers can easily apply them.

In recent years Virtual Reality has been revitalized, having gained and lost popularity between the 1960s and 1990s, and is now widely used for entertainment purposes. However, Virtual Reality, along with Mixed Reality and Augmented Reality, has broader application possibilities, thanks to significant advances in technology and accessibility. In the current study, we examined the effectiveness of these new technologies for use in education. We found that learning in both virtual and mixed environments resulted in similar levels of performance to traditional learning. However, participants reported higher levels of engagement in both Virtual Reality and Mixed Reality conditions compared to the traditional learning condition, and higher levels of positive emotions in the Virtual Reality condition. No simulator sickness was found from using either headset, and both headsets scored similarly for system usability and user acceptance of the technology. Virtual Reality, however, did produce a higher sense of presence than Mixed Reality. Overall, the findings suggest that some benefits can be gained from using Virtual and Mixed Realities for education.

BackgroundComplex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a rare and severe chronic pain condition, with effective treatment options not established for many patients. The underlying pathophysiology remains unclear, but there is a growing appreciation for the role of central mechanisms which have formed the basis for brain-based therapies such as transcranial magnetic stimulation and mirror visual feedback (MVF). MVF has been deployed in the treatment of CRPS using both conventional mirrors and virtual reality (VR).ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to further investigate the use of VR in the treatment of patients with unilateral upper limb CRPS. VR has the potential advantage of more flexible and more motivating tasks, as well as the option of tracking patient improvement through the use of movement data.MethodsWe describe the development, acceptability, feasibility, and usability of an open-source VR program MVF module designed to be used with consumer VR systems for the treatment of CRPS. The development team was an interdisciplinary group of physical therapists, pain researchers, and VR researchers. Patients recruited from a pain clinic completed 3-5 visits each to trial the system and assessed their experiences in pre- and post-treatment questionnaires.ResultsAll 9 (100%) participants were able to use the system for 3, 4, or 5 trials each. None of the participants quit any trial due to cybersickness. All 9 (100%) participants reported interest in using the module in the future. Participants’ reported average pain scores in the affected limb were not significantly different from baseline during treatment or after treatment (P=.16). We did not find a statistically significant effect on participants’ self-reported average pain scores.ConclusionsWe propose that this module could be a useful starting point for modification and testing for other researchers. We share modifications to make this module usable with standalone headsets and finger tracking. Next steps include adapting this module for at-home use, or for use with participants with lower limb pain.

Virtual reality (VR) provides a potentially powerful tool for researchers seeking to investigate eating and physical activity. Some unique conditions are necessary to ensure that the psychological processes that influence real eating behavior also influence behavior in VR environments. Accounting for these conditions is critical if VR-assisted research is to accurately reflect real-world situations. The current work discusses key considerations VR researchers must take into account to ensure similar psychological functioning in virtual and actual reality and does so by focusing on the process of spontaneous mental simulation. Spontaneous mental simulation is prevalent under real-world conditions but may be absent under VR conditions, potentially leading to differences in judgment and behavior between virtual and actual reality. For simulation to occur, the virtual environment must be perceived as being available for action. A useful chart is supplied as a reference to help researchers to investigate eating and physical activity more effectively.

PURPOSE: The disclosure of the content of the synergetic effect, as a result of network interactions of development institutions in a new economic virtual reality, and the presentation of the general characteristics of their relationships through knowledge of the functioning of clusters, which in the XXI century occurs during the digitalization of the economy, resulting in digital products/services and various platforms. METHODOLOGY: On the basis of dialectical, systemic and matrix methods and using the institutional-network approach, the characteristic features of network interactions of cluster formations in the conditions of virtual reality are studied, which are becoming the norm today, a good quality and effective rule for the practical implementation of various sectors of the economy in the course of digitalization of the economy. The method of comparison is used in terms of conditions for the formation of an innovation-digital cluster from the standpoint of the theory of institutionalism. FINDINGS: Network cooperation in the conditions of virtual reality demonstrates synergetic effects through new forms of qualitative accumulation and an increase of new knowledge, which occur through their network replication (division), and innovative growth is the result of the formation in the economy and society of a new, network model of coordination of connections, network cooperation of new quality, constantly adjusted by digital tools. The synergistic effect of networking creates a new phenomenon of growing marginal utility and growing marginal productivity from innovative glocalization and digital globalization. The greater the scale of innovation and digital activities is in the conditions of virtual reality, the greater the efficiency is of the use of additional resources. The effect of scale is especially pronounced within the network, which uses the standards produced and tested by it. IMPLICATIONS FOR THEORY AND PRACTICE: It is proved that the synergetic approach used in the formation and development of innovation-digital clusters is considered through the prism of the relationship “subject – subjective relationship of innovation-active organizations and digital enterprises.” In addition, in our case, this effect lies in the plane of restructuring the “old” development institutions in the “new”, under the influence of the relevant institutional and legal basis, systemic and comprehensive modernization and diversification of all sectors of production, improvement of the innovation and investment situation, construction of effective innovation and digital virtual-real infrastructure of the European standard, implementation of clustering of the economy using the opportunities of network cooperation.. ORIGINALITY AND VALUE: The content of a virtual slice of network interaction of cluster formations in the conditions of virtual reality offered by the authors is revealed; the authors’ vision of its structural elements is given, as from a digital network augmented and virtual socio-economic reality; the taxonomy and categorization of terminology with the help of which it is possible to reveal the formation of network cooperation in the conditions of virtual reality and its further development are investigated; on the basis of the conducted deep theoretical and methodological analysis and the presentation of a retrospective of innovation and digital changes, a step-by-step transformation of cluster formations is shown. The basis of network economy is network institutions, entities, organizations, in addition, it forms an environment in which any business entity or individual, which, no matter where it is in the economic system, has been able to communicate easily and at minimal cost with any other company or individual about working together, trading issues, or know-how, or just for fun in the conditions of the new virtual reality.

Virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) is an efficacious treatment for fear and anxiety and has the potential to solve both logistic issues for therapists and be used for scalable self-help interventions. However, VRET has yet to see large-scale implementation in clinical settings or as a consumer product, and past research suggests that while therapists may acknowledge the many advantages of VRET, they view the technology as technically inaccessible and expensive. We reasoned that after the 2016 release of several consumer virtual reality (VR) platforms and associated public acquaintance with VR, therapists’ concerns about VRET may have evolved. The present study surveyed attitudes toward and familiarity with VR and VRET among practicing cognitive behavior therapists (n = 185) attending a conference. Results showed that therapists had an overall positive attitude toward VRET (pros rated higher than cons) and viewed VR as applicable to conditions other than anxiety. Unlike in earlier research, high financial costs and technical difficulties were no longer top-rated negative aspects. Average negative attitude was a larger negative predictor of self-rated likelihood of future use than positive attitude was a positive predictor and partially mediated the positive association between VRET knowledge and likelihood of future use, suggesting that promotional efforts should focus on addressing concerns. We conclude that therapist’s attitudes toward VRET appear to have evolved in recent years, and no longer appear to constitute a major barrier to implementing the next generation of VR technology in regular clinical practice.

In the past few years, there have been some significant advances in consumer virtual reality (VR) devices. Devices such as the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Leap Motion™ Controller, and Microsoft Kinect® are bringing immersive VR experiences into the homes of consumers with much lower cost and space requirements than previous generations of VR hardware. These new devices are also lowering the barrier to entry for VR engineering applications. Past research has suggested that there are significant opportunities for using VR during design tasks to improve results and reduce development time. This work reviews the latest generation of VR hardware and reviews research studying VR in the design process. Additionally, this work extracts the major themes from the reviews and discusses how the latest technology and research may affect the engineering design process. We conclude that these new devices have the potential to significantly improve portions of the design process.

Visualizing and working with large scale scientific image data can benefit greatly from advances in consumer Virtual Reality and game development tools, but presently only limited applications have leveraged these. We present a set of techniques for mapping scientific images and data manipulation tasks into virtual reality applications with an emphasis on short development time and high quality user experience. Existing techniques often require large teams to develop applications that suffer in quality or require extensive development time. Using off the shelf Virtual Reality hardware and freely available development tools we present a set of techniques for making immersive and interactive data visualization and manipulation applications. We demonstrate these techniques with a series of Virtual Reality apps to produce high quality immersive applications in incredibly short periods of time. These applications show large datasets and extracted high level information geared towards image understanding. We illustrate that these techniques can be integrated into existing data acquisition, image processing and machine learning work flows. With these techniques we hope to encourage future development of scientific applications for emerging Virtual Reality platforms.

Today's consumer virtual reality (VR) devices have reached a level of complexity that necessitates innovative solutions, interaction designs, and the potential for greater user immersion. For example, the advanced interaction website developer Leap Motion presented the following introduction of their groundbreaking VR device: "Until the rise of virtual reality, we lived on the edge of a digital universe that was trapped behind glass screens. Now the glass is breaking. The digital is taking substance in our reality. But VR and AR is (sic) still largely unexplored."

This research, conducts an experiment to investigate whether there is a difference in user performance and preference for two types of head-mounted displays (HMDs) when users need to perform directional motion movements such as moving one foot forward and backward (or leftward or rightward). The two types of HMDs we have considered are virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), which represent the two most commonly marketed HMDs. The AR device chosen for this research is the Meta 2 while the chosen VR device is the Oculus RIFT CV1. The results of our experiment show that there is a close significant difference on task completion time between AR and VR condition when users perform motion direction tasks. Also, no significant effect has been found on the accuracy of making these motion movements between the AR and VR conditions. In terms of user preference, the results show that there is no significant effect on workload, motion sickness, immersion, and user experience. These results suggest that both AR and VR HMDs are suitable for interfaces that can rely on body motions like tapping on the floor using one foot in any of the directions around the user.

Consumer virtual reality (VR) headsets (e.g. Oculus Go) have brought VR non-fiction (VRNF) within reach of at-home audiences. However, despite increase in VR hardware sales and enthusiasm for the platform among niche audiences at festivals, mainstream audience interest in VRNF is not yet proven. This is despite a growing body of critically acclaimed VRNF, some of which is freely available. In seeking to understand a lack of engagement with VRNF by mainstream audiences, we need to be aware of challenges relating to the discovery of content and bear in mind the cost, inaccessibility and known limitations of consumer VR technology. However, we also need to set these issues within the context of the wider relationships between technology, society and the media, which have influenced the uptake of new media technologies in the past. To address this work, this article provides accounts by members of the public of their responses to VRNF as experienced within their households. We present an empirical study – one of the first of its kind – exploring these questions through qualitative research facilitating diverse households to experience VRNF at home, over several months. We find considerable enthusiasm for VR as a platform for non-fiction, but we also find this enthusiasm tempered by ethical concerns relating to both the platform and the content, and a pervasive tension between the platform and the home setting. Reflecting on our findings, we suggest that VRNF currently fails to meet any ‘supervening social necessity’ (Winston, 1996, Technologies of Seeing: Photography, Cinematography and Television. British: BFI.) that would pave the way for widespread domestic uptake, and we reflect on future directions for VR in the home.

Chapter 7 - Clinical applications of virtual reality in patient-centered care