We present a study that investigates user performance benefits of playing video games using 3D motion controllers in 3D stereoscopic vision in comparison to monoscopic viewing. Using the PlayStation 3 game console coupled with the PlayStation Move Controller, we explored five different games that combine 3D stereo and 3D spatial interaction. For each game, quantitative and qualitative measures were taken to determine if users performed better and learned faster in the experimental group (3D stereo display) than in the control group (2D display). A game expertise pre-questionnaire was used to classify participants into beginners and expert game player categories to analyze a possible impact on performance differences. The results show two cases where the 3D stereo display did help participants perform significantly better than with a 2D display. For the first time, we can report a positive effect on gaming performance based on stereoscopic vision, although reserved to isolated tasks and depending on game expertise. We discuss the reasons behind these findings and provide recommendations for game designers who want to make use of 3D stereoscopic vision and 3D motion controllers to enhance game experiences.

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We present a study that investigates user performance benefits of using head tracking in modern video games. We explored four di↵erent carefully chosen commercial games with tasks which can potentially benefit from head tracking. For each game, quantitative and qualitative measures were taken to determine if users performed better and learned faster in the experimental group (with head tracking) than in the control group (without head tracking). A game expertise pre-questionnaire was used to classify participants into casual and expert categories to analyze a possible impact on performance di↵erences. Our results indicate that head tracking provided a significant performance benefit for experts in two of the games tested. In addition, our results indicate that head tracking is more enjoyable for slow paced video games and it potentially hurts performance in fast paced modern video games. Reasoning behind our results is discussed and is the basis for our recommendations to game developers who want to make use of head tracking to enhance game experiences.

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Counting using one's fingers is a potentially intuitive way to enumerate a list of items and lends itself naturally to gesturebased menu systems. In this paper, we present the results of the first comprehensive study on Finger-Count menus to investigate its usefulness as a viable option for 3D menu selection tasks. Our study compares 3D gesture-based finger counting (Finger Count menus) with two gesture-based menu selection techniques (Hand-n-Hold, Thumbs-Up), derived from existing motion-controlled video game menu selection strategies, as well as 3D Marking menus. We examined selection time, selection accuracy and user preference for all techniques. We also examined the impact of different spatial layouts for menu items and different menu depths. Our results indicate that Finger-Count menus are significantly faster than the other menu techniques we tested and are the most liked by participants. Additionally, we found that while Finger-Count menus and 3D Marking menus have similar selection accuracy, Finger-Count menus are almost twice as fast compared to 3D Marking menus.