Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 16, 2026
Mobile Game-based Virtual Reality Program for Upper Extremity Stroke Rehabilitation
Published on: March 8, 2018
Comparison of Oculus Rift and HTC Vive: Feasibility for Virtual Reality-Based Exploration, Navigation, Exergaming,
Adrián Borrego1, Jorge Latorre1, Mariano Alcañiz1
11 Neurorehabilitation and Brain Research Group, Instituto de Investigación e Innovación en Bioingeniería, Universitat Politècnica de València , Valencia, Spain .
Introduction:
The latest generation of head-mounted displays (HMDs) provides built-in head tracking, which enables estimating position in a room-size setting. This feature allows users to explore, navigate, and move within real-size virtual environments, such as kitchens, supermarket aisles, or streets. Previously, these actions were commonly facilitated by external peripherals and interaction metaphors.
Objective:
The objective of this study was to compare the Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive in terms of the working range of the head tracking and the working area, accuracy, and jitter in a room-size environment, and to determine their feasibility for serious games, rehabilitation, and health-related applications.
Materials And Methods:
The position of the HMDs was registered in a 10 × 10 grid covering an area of 25 m2 at sitting (1.3 m) and standing (1.7 m) heights. Accuracy and jitter were estimated from positional data. The working range was estimated by moving the HMDs away from the cameras until no data were obtained.
Results:
The HTC Vive provided a working area (24.87 m2) twice as large as that of the Oculus Rift. Both devices showed excellent and comparable performance at sitting height (accuracy up to 1 cm and jitter <0.35 mm), and the HTC Vive presented worse but still excellent accuracy and jitter at standing height (accuracy up to 1.5 cm and jitter <0.5 mm). The HTC Vive presented a larger working range (7 m) than did the Oculus Rift (4.25 m).
Conclusion:
Our results support the use of these devices for real navigation, exploration, exergaming, and motor rehabilitation in virtual reality environments.
Related Concept Videos
02:57The Sense of Self: Reflected Self-Appraisal and Social Comparison
01:20Virtual Work
In static equilibrium, a body can experience an imaginary or virtual movement, such as displacement or rotation. The virtual work done by a force is equal to the dot product of force and virtual displacement in the direction of the force. When it comes to virtually rotating a...
01:13Multiple Comparison Tests
It would be easy to compare two samples using a significance alpha level of 0.05. In other words, there is only one sample pair to be compared. However, it would be difficult to identify a significantly different sample if the number...
01:13Principle of Virtual Work: Problem Solving
To apply the principle of virtual work,...
02:54Evolutionary Relationships through Genome Comparisons
01:24Comparison Between Electrical And Gravitational Forces
Since both are inverse square law forces, the distance gets canceled when the ratio of the two forces is considered. Instead, the ratio of the electrical and gravitational forces depends on...