Due to the level of immersion and differences in the user interface, there can be a very large discrepancy in the user experience between users in immersive systems and non-immersive systems when playing games together. To investigate the impact of the cross-reality experience, which refers to the asymmetric use of eXtended Reality, we aim to understand the different affordances and experiences in an asymmetric setup, where one participant uses a desktop setup with a mouse and keyboard, and one uses a virtual reality (VR) headset and controller in two different task modes, Competition or Collaboration. In our research, a pair of participants played a game in real-time, using either the VR setup or the desktop setup. In Competition mode, the two participants were asked to defeat each other. In Collaboration mode, the pair of participants played as a team and were asked to defeat a pair of AI enemies. Our results show the VR group reported a better gaming experience and perceptual responses compared to the desktop group regardless of game mode, but that the desktop group showed superior gaming performance compared to the VR group in Competition mode.

This paper investigates the influence of floor-vibration tactile feedback on immersed users. Under symmetric and asymmetric tactile sensory cue conditions, we explore how multi-user Virtual Reality (VR) experiences are impacted by these cues in terms of illusion and coherence. Based on the reported positive impact of tactile cues in solo VR experiences, we posit that if context-matched perceptual tactile feedback is exchanged between users, they will report a significantly enhanced VR experience compared to not receiving the sensory stimuli, even within the same immersive VR experience. With our custom-built, computer-controlled vibration floor, we implemented a cannonball shooting game for two physically-separated players. In the VR game, the two players shoot cannonballs to destroy their opponent’s protective wall and cannon, while the programmed floor platform generates vertical vibrations depending on the experimental condition. We used a mixed-factorial design with four conditions for each pair of participants: 1) both A and B had vibration, and 2) neither A nor B had vibration (the Symmetric group), or 3) A had vibration, but B did not, and 4) B had vibration, but A did not (the Asymmetric group). We collected subjective and objective data for variables previously shown to be related to levels of illusion, coherence, and usability, including Presence, Co-Presence, Social Presence, Plausibility Illusion, Engagement, Embodiment, Coherence, Gaming Performance, and Overall Preference. A total of 39 pairs of participants were involved in the study. We found statistically significant differences for the vibration conditions on Co-Presence, Social Presence, Engagement, and Coherence, and for the symmetric conditions on the Plausibility Illusion and Coherence, but only with trivial or small effect sizes. The results indicate that vibration provided to a pair of game players in immersive VR can significantly enhance the VR experience, but sensory symmetry does not guarantee improved gaming performance.

To interact as fully-tracked avatars with rich hand gestures in Virtual Reality (VR), we often need to wear a tracking suit or attach extra sensors on our bodies. User experience and performance may be impacted by the cumbersome devices and low fidelity behavior representations, especially in social scenarios where good communication is required. In this paper, we use multiple depth sensors and focus on increasing the behavioral fidelity of a participant’s virtual body representation. To investigate the impact of the depth-sensor-based avatar system (full-body tracking with hand gestures), we compared it against a controller-based avatar system (partial-body tracking with limited hand gestures). We designed a VR interview simulation for a single user to measure the effects on presence, virtual body ownership, workload, usability, and perceived self-performance. Specifically, the interview process was recorded in VR, together with all the verbal and non-verbal cues. Subjects then took a third-person view to evaluate their previous performance. Our results show that the depth-sensor-based avatar control system increased virtual body ownership and also improved the user experience. In addition, users rated their non-verbal behavior performance higher in the full-body depth-sensor-based avatar system.