Controlling VR Games: Control Schemes and the Player Experience

Abstract

Control schemes are central to the user experience in video games as they determine the quality of a user's interaction with the game world. Since the 1990's, desktop 3D games have adopted the "mouselook" scheme, in which the mouse simultaneously rotates the camera view, aims and steers the avatar. However, virtual reality games do not yet have a standard control scheme and require a different approach in order to integrate input from the head-mounted display, an additional input device not present in desktop 3D games. To address this gap, we conducted two mixed-methods studies to evaluate the usability of control schemes for controller-based VR games in the FPS genre. The first study used keyboard and mouse and the second used Oculus Touch motion controllers as input devices. User study 1 showed that "coupled" control schemes in which the camera view and steering the avatar were controlled by both the mouse and head-mounted display were most usable. Study 2 showed that both the coupled and "decoupled" schemes were usable, although some users found the decoupled scheme disorienting.

Immersive virtual reality health games: a narrative review of game design

“…performing complex actions by pressing a controller button) [89]. Moreover, players' familiarity with traditional game controls may impact their expectations and perceptions of the game [90]. Ultimately, these diverse features allow for VR applications that target a variety of health contexts.…”