Presence in virtual environments as a function of type of input device and display update rate

Presence in virtual environments can be defined as the participant's feeling or sense of “being there” in the virtual environment. Two factors which may influence the level of presence experienced by a participant within a virtual environment are the display update rate and the type of input device used for navigating within the virtual environment. This paper presents the results of a study examining the relationship between two types of input device and three display update rates on the user's sense of presence within a virtual environment. In the experiment, eight subjects used either a joystick or a SpaceBall to navigate through a virtual representation of Stonehenge at update rates of 10, 15, and 20 Hz. The task was to search for an object hidden within the virtual environment. It was found that although the type of input device had no effect on the user's sense of presence, an update rate of at least 15 Hz was the critical value for the user feeling present in the virtual environment. Implications of the results for the design of virtual environments and for creating a sense of presence within virtual environments are discussed.