VRMController: an input device for navigation activities in virtual reality environments

Abstract

Despite the rapid advancement of display capabilities of VR, in the form of wearable goggles like the Oculus for example, there has been relatively limited progress in the development of input devices for this technology. In this paper, we describe an input controller that is aimed at supporting users' navigation activities in virtual reality environments. Navigation is common in VR environments. The traditional game controller for consoles is still a common choice but only now companies are just beginning to introduce new concepts (for example the HTC Vive Controller). In this research we explore the development of an alternative input controller to support users' navigation activities. This process has led to the design and creation of VRMController, an input device based on a mobile phone designed specifically to support single-hand interaction within VR environments. The design VRMController is based on the results of an initial study comparing three input devices: an Xbox game controller, the HTC Vive controller, and a tablet device. Based on feedback from participants about the useful features of the three types of devices, we have distilled five design guidelines and used them to inform the development of VRMController. The results of a second study comparing our controller with an Xbox controller shows that with our controller participants are able to achieve better performance and find that it is easier to use and more usable.