Microsoft are reportedly experimenting with ways to avoid simulation sickness in Virtual Reality. One of the concepts that the company has tested so far, is called ‘Sparse Peripheral Display’ or, more simply, clusters of inexpensive LEDs located around the central display. These LEDs augment the field of view of the head-mounted display whilst keeping the headset quite light.
Entitled ‘Sparselight’, Microsoft have created two prototype headsets, extending the standard Oculus Rift DK2 and the Galaxy Gear VR headset. Sparselight VR features 70 peripheral LEDs, creating a 170° horizontal field of view. An Augmented Reality variant has also been created (Sparselight AR), featuring 112 peripheral LEDs, creating a 190° horizontal field of view. In order to render the colour of each LED, the team designed a series of matching light probes that they are claiming can be used in any unity game engine scene.
“Sparse peripheral displays provide additional contextual information increasing the situational awareness of the person wearing the display”.
The Microsoft Research Team conducted two user experiments. In the first experiment, they compared the users’ performance in a simple search task against a narrow (AR), standard (VR) and wide (Sparselight) field of view.
“In our visual search task, the Sparselight VR display significantly outperformed the lower field of view displays”.
In the second experiment, users had to follow an orb in the scene, using a controller. The team then compared an unmodified Oculus Rift DK2 setup with the Sparselight VR setup, configured to render an extended field of view. They also compared a visualisation called ‘Peripheral Countervection Motion’. This creates the effect of motion in the periphery which will oppose any motion that is not created by the user moving their head.
“Eleven out of fourteen participants indicated that the Peripheral Countervection Motion visualisation reduces the effects of simulated sickness in our task”.
