Differences on presence and reality judgment using a high impact workstation and a PC workstation.

Area of Science:

• Human-Computer Interaction
• Virtual Reality Technology
• Cognitive Psychology

Background:

• Virtual reality (VR) systems are increasingly utilized across various fields.
• The cost of VR hardware, particularly high-end workstations, can be a significant barrier to adoption.
• Understanding the impact of hardware quality on user experience is crucial for cost-effective VR implementation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare user judgments of reality and sense of presence between two distinct VR workstations.
• To investigate if differences in VR hardware impact the subjective experience of immersion and interaction.
• To inform the development of more accessible and affordable VR solutions.

Main Methods:

• Sixty-nine undergraduate students were randomly assigned to use either a high-end (Silicon Graphics workstation, high-quality HMD) or a mid-range (PC Pentium II, medium-quality HMD) VR system.
• Participants' sense of presence and reality judgments were measured using a 15-item questionnaire.
• The questionnaire assessed immersion, interaction, and emotional/sensory experiences within the virtual environments.

Main Results:

• No statistically significant differences were found in the sense of presence between the two VR workstations.
• User judgments of reality did not differ significantly between the high-end and mid-range VR conditions.
• Subjective experiences of immersion, interaction, and emotions were comparable across both experimental setups.

Conclusions:

• The quality of VR hardware, specifically the workstation and head-mounted display, may not significantly influence the user's sense of presence or reality perception.
• These findings suggest that more affordable VR systems can provide comparable user experiences to high-end systems.
• This has important implications for reducing the cost barrier in VR adoption and wider implementation.