The Visual Information Available in Virtual Reality

Abstract

Perception in virtual reality is often compared to the perception of pictures. There are, however, important differences. A virtual reality environment, unlike a picture, is interactive and immersive. These properties give rise to novel theoretical challenges. Building on James J. Gibson’s analysis of the perception of depictions, we raise three questions about perception in virtual reality, to which we offer tentative answers: (1) Is virtual reality a kind of picture perception? Answer: No. A virtual reality headset is better understood not as an image-based display but as a pair of electronic spectacles that allow the wearer to sample a simulated ambient optic array. (2) Who creates the information in virtual reality? Answer: The information is a joint creation of hardware developers, software engineers, and the observer. The observer is a co-creator of the information that they detect. (3) Are there affordances in virtual reality? Answer: Yes, but there are limitations on what a given virtual reality environment can provide to its users, resulting from the details of how the environment is implemented. An accurate understanding of the perceptual information available in virtual reality may contribute to current philosophical debates on the nature of experience in virtual reality.